The UFC London main event was already a mess in its own right, as Movsar Evloev defeated Lerone Murphy via majority decision, even though the referee deducted a point following a low-blow foul. But the drama didn’t stop there; the controversy appears to be stretching even further, as Joe Rogan claimed that he had spotted the English featherweight cheating during the headliner bout.

During a watch party with other members, Rogan noticed that Murphy was grabbing Evloev’s shorts during a wrestling exchange and called him out. However, while the 58-year-old claimed the move was illegal, he believed Evloev’s shorts were also part of the problem. After watching the exchange, Joe Rogan firmly argued that Murphy wouldn’t have been able to do the same thing if Evloev had worn Khabib Nurmagomedov-style shorts.

“The problem with them is that people can grab them….,” Rogan said in the JRE fight companion. “There shouldn’t be anything someone can grab onto….But people do it sometimes. It is illegal….Occasionally, guys do it, but it should be out of the equation, like you can kick just as well in those tights…. But yeah, good luck grabbing Khabib’s shorts.”

For the unfamiliar, Movsar Evloev entered the arena wearing the high-cut shorts, also known as gladiator shorts. These types of shorts have a long cut on the sides, which makes movement easier for a fighter. However, since they aren’t tight against the skin, it becomes quite easy for opponents to grab them during a takedown attempt, which often turns into a foul.

That said, the reason the UFC color commentator used Khabib Nurmagomedov as an example is pretty simple. For most of his career, ‘The Eagle’ wore shorts that were not only tight around his skin but also reached his knees, making it extremely difficult for anyone to grab them with ease. In fact, reports indicated that Conor McGregor tried to grab Khabib’s shorts during their UFC 229 clash but failed to gain any real advantage.

Now, while the referees seemed to have overlooked Lerone Murphy’s alleged cheating attempts during the UFC London clash, they were quite strict about Movsar Evloev’s foul, which caused massive controversy.

The referee penalized Movsar Evloev for committing a foul at UFC London

The UFC London headliner served as a featherweight title eliminator between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy, so the officials didn’t want to leave any stone unturned. However, the still-undefeated Russian accidentally kicked the Englishman in the groin in the fourth round, which prompted the referee to deduct a point.

Even though Evloev was a point down, he went on to win the fight via 48-46, 48-46, and 47-47 majority decision, which sparked massive controversy as fans labeled the decision a daylight robbery. But it wasn’t just the fans who were upset about the verdict. Joining the backlash queue, even former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling grilled the judges for not scoring the fight a draw.

“That fight was a draw at best,” ‘Funkmaster’ posted on X. “Respect to all the circumstances, but there’s no way he should’ve won that. Insane,” he added.

As more details continue to unfold, fans remain divided after the UFC London main event. Still, the fact remains that Movsar Evloev could be next in line to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight championship.

That said, what’s your take on this year’s London Fight Night headliner? Let us know in the comments section below.