A judge was dropped on the spot at UFC 305 in Perth after handing in a one-sided scorecard favouring Australia’s Tai Tuivasa.
Tuivasa suffered a career-threatening fifth loss in a row when he went down to Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a split decision that was instantly controversial.
Rozenstruik was dominant and hammered home his advantage in a second round that ended with Tuivasa clearly battling a new leg injury.
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By the end of the third and final round, there was no question Rozenstruik would be the winner.
Judge David Lethaby gave all three rounds to Rozenstruik while his colleague Charlie Keech gave the first to Tuivasa.
But Howie Booth gave all three to Tuivasa — and that was too much to bear for UFC officials.
Booth was almost immediately pulled from working the co-main event between New Zealand’s Kai Kara-France and Perth’s own Steve Erceg, with Ben Cartlidge called up in his place.
“Whichever judge had it for Tai should be FIRED. That is a JOKE,” veteran combat journalist Kevin Iole wrote when the Tuivasa score came through.
“HORRENDOUS JOKE OF A CALL by that judge. Wow was that bad. Howie Booth ABSOLUTELY should be let go. He should not be allowed to judge another fight on this card at the very least. Outrageous.”
Beyond the controversy, the loss spells trouble for the 31-year-old Tuivasa.
He has not won in the UFC since February 2022, having now suffered two knockouts, two submissions and Sunday’s heavy defeat since.
In a bid to end the rot, Tuivasa had flown to Dubai to train for his latest fight, hoping the change in scenery would help him escape distractions such as his friends and the pub.
The opening round was a subdued affair, with neither fighter able to land any rattling blows.
The second round exploded to life with two minutes remaining when Rozenstruik pounced after Tuivasa hurt his leg while kicking.
Rozenstruik landed a series of heavy blows to leave Tuivasa bloodied and fighting for survival, but the Australian managed to swing back a few times to ensure he made it to the bell.
Tuivasa copped some more lusty blows in the third round, but his late flurry of punches in an attempt to score a knockout fell well short.
Tuivasa’s fight was followed up by a better result for Australia and New Zealand when Kiwi lightweight Dan Hooker defeated the fifth-ranked Mateusz Gamrot in an upset.
Hooker is now on a three-fight winning streak after previously losing four out of five bouts across 2020-22.
Meanwhile, Booth’s replacement judge was not required after all when the co-main event between Kara-France and Erceg came to a dramatic end in the first round.
Kara-France landed an early right that sent Erceg crashing to the canvas and one more flurry was enough for the referee to stop the fight.
The win was a welcome return to the octagon for Kara-France after just one fight — a loss — since July 2022.
“Firstly hats off to Steve, he’s a gentleman, he’s the man. Round of applause for Steve, thank you,” the Kiwi said.
“Just to get back here, a year ago, I had to take time away, needed time to reevaluate and reflect, to balance my other priorities, but this is what we love, this is what we do best.”
Asked how he keeps winning in the first round as a flyweight, Kara-France said: “I’m Maori, bro.”
– with AAP