Petr Yan lost a disputed split decision to Sean O’Malley at UFC 280
Joe Rogan believes Petr Yan beat Sean O’Malley at UFC 280 last weekend, as the respected pundit questioned the scoring system used in the elite MMA promotion.
Russian Yan fell to a second consecutive defeat in on Saturday in Abu Dhabi when rising bantamweight prospect O’Malley was handed a controversial split decision, winning 29-28 on two of the three scorecards, while Yan was given the fight 29-28 on the other.
Some immediately questioned the scoring, with former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo claiming it was the “biggest robbery in UFC history.”
A viral clip of 29-0 lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov expressing his dismay with the development backstage at the Etihad Arena has been seen over 2 million times.
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Others, however, have argued that the fight was a close contest and O’Malley did enough to edge it by landing consistent strikes, also opening up a gash near Yan’s right eye with a vicious knee shot.
During the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan joined the throngs of respected figures in the UFC by backing ex-bantamweight champion Yan, after first evaluating O’Malley’s showing in the biggest test of his 16-1 career.