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Dana White Slams Controversial Decision at UFC Vegas 68, Rewards Winning Bonus to Fighter Despite a Draw

Published 02/05/2023, 11:45 AM EST

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It may be said that the UFC Vegas 68 lived up to the expectations of the fans. A superb main event along with a few exciting fights even in the prelims made it a real enthraller. But apart from all the exciting showdowns, one bout of the event received massive attention, but for all the wrong reasons. The featherweight bout between the South Korean Choi Doo-Ho and the Canadian Kyle Nelson. The fight ended in a draw due to a point deduction from the 31-year-old’s bucket due to a controversial headbutt. Choi Doo-Ho had dominated most of his bout against Nelson. A lot of fans, including even the UFC supremo, Dana White, thought that Choi had clearly won the fight.

They also criticized the decision to deduct a point from Choi, which ultimately cost him a win and ended the fight in a draw. The UFC boss took to the mic at the post-event press conference and expressed his disgusted thoughts on the decision of the fight.

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Dana White awarded the winning bonus to Doo Ho Choi

The point deduction from Choi happened due to an alleged headbutt from him. Choi was mounted over his opponent Nelson in the third round while he supposedly lunged forward and head-butted him. The referee called for a time-out and re-checked the footage. He finally made his decision to deduct a point from ‘The Korean Superboy’ due to his prohibited action.

This point deduction later turned out to be the barrier between Choi and a victory as the bout ended in a draw. The so-called ambiguous decision by the referee apparently startled the UFC boss, Dana White.

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via Imago

He was also asked about this in the post-event press conference by one of the reporters. He asked, Had a quick question about the Doo Ho Choi fight. Did you think that point deduction was warranted to that headbutt?”

White expressed his opinion, stating, Absolutely not. I thought it was insane that it cost him the fight. I paid him his win money. He won that fight. So, I paid him”. The fact that White had adjudged Choi as the winner of this bout was evident in his words and action as well.

A lot of fans also bashed the decision of deducting a point from Doo Ho Choi alike White

This incident enraged a large chunk of fans. They were of the opinion that the headbutt from Choi wasn’t intentional and hence saw this draw as a robbery of ‘The Korean Superboy’s victory.

The noted MMA reporter from TSN Sports, Aaron Bronsteter, covered this incident and tweeted, “White felt that the point deduction that Choi received was “insane” and that he paid Choi his win money.”

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It may be said that many fans will laud the noble gesture of the UFC boss in this regard. The UFC has already been accused enough of underpaying their fighters. These types of goodwill gestures can definitely help Dana White and co. to regain some respect among the fans regarding the reportedly ‘underpaying’ nature.

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Written by:

Souvik Roy

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Souvik Roy is currently a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. An avid UFC follower, Souvik combined his love for the sport and his passion for words to turn his interest into his Livelihood. A Diploma holder in Electrical Engineering, Souvik has worked as a Freelance Link Builder and Content Writer previously and wrote for various clients and businesses.
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Edited by:

Vineet Nandwana