The UFC CEO, Dana White, was left utterly disappointed after Mike Bell scored 10-8 in the fifth round in favor of Alexa Grasso. This resulted in the bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Grasso, ending in a split draw, and the latter retaining her flyweight belt. Numerous fans were disappointed with this decision, as Shevchenko put forward a spectacular performance in the fifth round of the bout. While talking in an interview with The MacLife, the UFC CEO publicly criticized Bell for being unfair with scoring and even deemed it an outright ‘robbery.’

Now the promotion has finally decided to make some considerable changes and an ex-UFC fighter is set to secure his seat as a judge. Dana and Co. believe that this decision would help fighters avoid losing bouts because of the unfair scoring of judges. When retired MMA fighters become judges, they will already be familiar with all the technical aspects of the bout. So who is the UFC veteran? Let’s find out.

Dana White and Co. gave an enormous opportunity to UFC Veteran

Dana White is all set to give a tremendous opportunity to retired UFC fighter, Chris Leben. Leben, a unique fighter who grabbed the attention of the fight fans with his exciting character, is getting ready to take on the role of judge at UFC Vegas 79. He signed with the UFC in 2005, and before that, became the inaugural WEC middleweight champion. He served nine long years in the UFC as a celebrated fighter who fought against some of the great fighters in the history of the promotion. 

Leben’s last bout in the world’s biggest MMA promotion was against Uriah Hall in 2013. He was knocked out of the bout and later chose to retire from the sport, but later made his comeback with Bellator. However, he did not fight in Bellator and instead achieved a record of 3-1 in bare-knuckle boxing.

Trending

Israel Adesanya Responds After Shaquille O’Neal Brands Two-Time Champ “Greatest Athletes Ever” Along With Jon Jones and Kamaru Usman

April 27, 2024 07:23 AM EDT

“Colby Called the Cops” – Ryan Garcia Teaching Covington His Boxing Secrets Leaves Combat World in Splits

April 28, 2024 07:49 AM EDT

How Much of BKFC Does Conor McGregor Own? All We Know About the UFC Star’s Deal With David Feldman’s Promotion

April 28, 2024 11:53 AM EDT

Michael Chandler Handed Sad Update on Conor McGregor Fight at UFC 303 – “He’s Not Going to Get Pay-Per-View Points”

April 24, 2024 07:47 PM EDT

Colby Covington Officially Confirms Status for UFC 303: Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler Co-Main Rumors With Ian Garry

April 28, 2024 03:16 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

UFC President Dana White Slams “Selective Outrage” As He Discloses Medical Standards for Power Slap League: “They’re Much Safer Fighting Here”

After retiring from fighting, Leben became a licensed referee and also worked as a judge in California. He was trained by renowned MMA referee Herb Dean and has been officiating bouts since 2016. Now White has decided to solve the issue of unfair scoring by appointing retired fighters like Leben. When the MMA fans came across the news, they were beyond thrilled.

Fans are happy about the decision

Most of the fans wholeheartedly welcomed Chris Leben as a UFC judge, as they strongly believed that he could score fairly. As an MMA fighter, they feel that he would have more knowledge about the sport than boxing referees.

The fans also recommended that more retired fighters should become judges to ensure more fair fights. A fan felt extremely relieved after knowing that the promotion acknowledged the problem of judges scoring unfairly and did something to help the fighters.

we need more judges who actually fought

Judges that have actually been in the octagon and understand the sport might help tbh

More of this is needed. Less boxing judges

Thank god they’re actually trying something to address the problem.

A fan felt that turning to the role of judges was the best job for retired fighters, as they were already familiar with all the technical aspects of the sport. Few other fans strongly opposed boxing referees taking on the role of MMA referees, as both boxing and MMA are different.

Good for him! That’s a perfect job for retired fighters….at least they know wtf they’re watching unlike some of these other knobs

As long as they have no bias to their fighting style, by all means make it happen!!

Yes yes yes!!! We need more of this. People who actually know about mma need to be the ones judging. Not dusty as* paid off boxing refs

From the reactions of the fans, it is evident that they believed that UFC CEO Dana White and Co. made the right decision by giving Chris Leben a chance. The fans also condemned the other judges for not having enough knowledge about MMA.

What are your thoughts about Chris Leben becoming the new UFC judge? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Who Is Sean Strickland’s Girlfriend?