Best and Worst from UFC Fight Night 145: Blachowicz vs. Santos

#1 Worst: Was Pudilova robbed?

Did Lucie Pudilova deserve the win over Liz Carmouche last night?

The Czech Republic isn’t really known for producing top MMA fighters and that was clear in the fact that Flyweight Lucie Pudilova – 1-1 in the UFC prior to last night with both of her fights on preliminary cards – was the lone Czech native competing on the UFC’s debut in the country. And it looked like a tough fight for her, too – she was faced with a longtime veteran and former title challenger in Liz Carmouche.

Pudilova did lose in the end, but watching the fight I’m not sure that she really deserved the loss. Carmouche clearly came out to grapple, looking to nullify Pudilova’s striking game, but in terms of actual offense, for me, Pudilova did more across the 15 minutes.

Using the unified rules and the 10-point must system, you’d have to give Carmouche the first round even though all she did was shove Pudilova into the fence ala an old-school Matt Lindland fight. The second round surely should’ve gone to Pudilova for her superior striking – even when she was taken down, she swept into top position and delivered far more damage than Carmouche did on the ground.

That should’ve meant the deciding round was the 3rd, and while Pudilova’s striking accuracy definitely wasn’t flawless, she was the one largely pushing the fight while it was on its feet, and when it hit the ground, while Carmouche tried a heel hook, it was Pudilova throwing elbows and she was the one who ended the fight on top.

It was a close fight for sure and wasn’t the biggest robbery of all time, but I definitely thought the Czech fighter deserved the nod here – and it would’ve made the crowd happier too.