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In the early prelims of UFC 284, promotional debutant Elves Brener, who was the biggest underdog on the fight card, edged out Chechnyan veteran Zubaira Tukhugov in a controversial split decision win.
As per DraftKings Sportsbook, the 25-year-old Brazilian was the +470 underdog for the match-up against Tukhugov, who was pegged as the -625 favorite.
Judges Derek Cleary and Evan Field scored the three-rounder in favor of Berner, while Barry Foley saw the match up a 29-28 in favor of Tukhugov. Interestingly, Field scored all three rounds in favor of the 25-year-old.
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However, it is safe to say that the official decision is in sharp contrast to popular public opinion. MMA publications, including Sherdog, scored the contest as 29-28 for the Chechen.
Watch the highlights of Elves Brener vs. Zubaira Tukhugov below:
Elves Brener currently holds a pro-MMA record of 14-3. Before joining the premier MMA promotion, the lightweight prospect fought under promotions like the Professional Fighters League (PFL), Amazon Talent, Future FC, and Mr. Cage Championship, among others.
The youngster is a teammate of former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
Zubaira Tukhugov, a long-time UFC veteran who has been with the American promotion since 2014 has amassed a promotional record of 5-3-1. His overall MMA record is a respectable 20-6.
The controversial decision has sent fans and fighters into a frenzy and many took to social media to express their disappointment with the bizarre decision.
UFC Fans react to Elves Brener's controversial win
It's safe to say that Elves Brener's split decision win against Zubaira Tukhugov has not been well received by the MMA fandom. Many in the MMA community feel that Chechen was unfairly robbed of a win at UFC 284.
Let's take a look at some of the interesting Twitter reactions to the decision.
In a hilarious post, Twitter user Alexander Hvass suggested that the bout was perhaps rigged in favor of the Brazilian:
"Probably just another stupid/ignorant/incompetent judge right? 😂. Brenner vs Tukhugov. #UFC284 #NotRigged."
@ConsensusScore criticized judge Evan Field for giving all three rounds to the 25-year-old. The user further suggested that the promotion should make sure they have world-class judges on board for high-profile international pay-per-views:
"Evan Field (Who?!?!) is responsible for the atrocious 30-27 Brener card. If UFC is going to take the time to get to Perth, they need to make sure they have world-class judges."
In yet another hilarious response, Twitter user David Coffin stated that although he was upset with the official decision, he was relieved when he realized that his money was on Berner.
Check out a few other responses below:
