Fans were furious after popular former champion Aljamain Sterling failed to record another featherweight victory on Saturday night.
The former bantamweight king was bizarrely placed on the prelim portion of the UFC 310 card when he faced undefeated Russian Movsar Evloev. And he looked to be up to his rival's challenge, landing a number of big takedowns in a wrestling masterclass.
However, viewers were left scratching their heads when all three judges scored the second and third rounds for Evloev, handing Sterling another defeat. And they vented their frustration on social media after seeing the result read out by Bruce Buffer.
Movsar Evloev wins by Unanimous Decision against Aljamain Sterling
Despite his undefeated record and shredded physique, Ajamain Sterling appeared to be able to floor Movsar Evloev with relative ease early in the fight. The newly minted featherweight showed off his struggles at the highest level to gain control and clearly win the first.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
When the Russian star got back to his feet, Sterling threw him through the air and back to the mat – but Evloev had already achieved some of his own wrestling success before the end of the first round. That reversal became more of the story of the second, as Evloev had significantly more success and leveled the scores.
But it seemed to be heading for a Sterling victory when the third moved forward. The judges, on the other hand, thought Evloev did enough, and his record moved to a perfect 19-0, much to the chagrin of many viewers.
Fans are outraged by the result of Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
After the scorecards were released on social media, showing all three judges giving the score 29-28 to Evloev, and especially that third round, fans were not happy. They expressed their dismay in a series of angry messages, claiming Sterling had been 'robbed'.
The Russian isn't a popular fighter with fans anyway, and perhaps there was some level of validation from viewers who wanted to see him finally lose. But that didn't stop their aggression coming out, with one writing: “Bulls*** decision.”
Others noted that it seemed strange that none of the judges would see such a close third round in the American's favor. One wrote: “That last attack on Mosvar counted too much. Aljo controlled him until the end of the round.”
Aljamain Sterling reacts to the loss of Movsar Evloev
In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Sterling came out to congratulate his rival and declare that he would be making a comeback. Although he felt he did enough to justify the decision, he still left a classy post towards his opponent.
“Tough battle,” he wrote on X to his followers. “I thought I might have won against a tough opponent, but we came up short. Thank you all for the love and support and I hope the performance was fun for you all to watch.
“Movsar is a beast, I showed where I belong in this division. For now, we decompress and recover, then get ready to climb the ladder again. The dream doesn't stop unless you give up! I'll be back!
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