Jared Cannonier earned himself a crucial win against Sean Strickland at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, further increasing his chances at a middleweight title shot in 2023.
This was a close bout, but Cannonier controlled three of the five rounds. He did far more damage, and blocked out a lot of Strickland’s volume, adding another layer to the scoresheet, so the decision from the judges did not appear to be overly complicated.
Yet that changed during the official announcement, when two of the judges scored this in the exact opposite manner to cause a split decision. Somehow, Derek Leary had every round but the fourth scored in Cannonier’s favor, while Sal D’Amato had every round but the fourth going to Strickland.