It's not easy being a judge. The action in the Octagon is fast and furious, clear views of the action are sometimes blocked and there are plenty elements to block out, like the roar of 15,000-plus fans. So not every close decision is a controversial one but the split victory given to Sean Sherk over Evan Dunham appears to be a little shaky.
At first glance, it looked like Sherk took the first on the benefit of several takedowns and busting open a big cut over Dunham's eye. In Rounds 2 and 3, Sherk couldn't score his takedowns and got busted up on the feet by Dunham. Yet Glenn Trowbridge and Cecil Peoples helped Sherk to a split-decision win by each giving him the nod 29-28. The fans didn't like the call and UFC president Dana White was livid with the decision.
The judges also don't have the benefit of statistics during the fight. The postfight report released by FightMetric paints a pretty one-sided picture. Sherk, a wrestler by nature, only made good on 5-of-18 takedown attempts. He also improved position, to half-guard, just once. While attempting the takedowns or trying to improve position he also got caught in seven submission attempts. The stats were even worse when the fight was standing. Dunham was incredibly active attempting nearly 200 strikes. He landed an amazing 62 percent of his jabs, 93 of 148 in all.
Massimo Natili Brian Naylor Mike Nazaruk Tiff Needell Jac Nelleman
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