"This is corruption" - MMA community voices distrust in commissions and judges after denial to comment on Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 scoring

MMA fans weighed in with their thoughts after there was a denial for a comment regarding Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 ending in a controversial split draw this past weekend at Noche UFC.

Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 was a very entertaining fight but the result was controversial because judge Mike Bell scored the fifth round 10-8 in favor of the women's flyweight champion despite it being closely contested. As a result, his scorecard was 47-47, while the others had 48-47 for each fighter respectively. TSN MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter tweeted that he reached out for an interview with Bell to discuss Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 but was denied, writing:

"I formally requested an interview with Mr. Bell and also asked whether it would be possible to attend post-fight debriefs that the commission has with the officials and both requests were declined."

Aaron Bronsteter tweeted regarding interview request with Mike Bell

The MMA community took to X, where they noted that the result will have a negative impact on how fans view the commissions and judges going forward. Some fans mentioned that they believe Bell's scorecard for Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 casts a dark cloud on the integrity of the sport, while other questioned why there hasn't been an overhaul on the judging criteria of fights.

Fans wrote:

"This is corruption, that judge needs to be interrogated" [@Surende87475385 - X]

"No accountability...Ufc actually can do something about all this they’re just too lazy to." [@SletKentDome - X]

"Do you think they have a secret knock at the door for those post-fight debriefs?" [@PoloKingDX - X]

"Judges need to be held accountable for their decisions. How long can this go on, where judges make egregious decisions and never have to explain the reasoning?" [@MarvinPoirier - X]

"NSAC is holding special training for judges right now based on the corrupt Mike Bell. He works for TKO." [@RobHard18192741 - X]

"There’s gotta be a way to break free from the commissions, they’re supposed to be regulating the sport but are creating all kinds of havoc and ghosting the media." [@SonOfGun96 - X]

Tweets from the MMA community

It will be interesting to see whether the UFC or respective commissions will enforce strict measures to ensure that decisions aren't controversial like Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2.

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Former UFC women's flyweight champion puts Mike Bell on blast for his Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 scorecard

Mike Bell angered many in the MMA community with his scorecard for Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 this past Saturday, including the competitors.

During her appearance on The MMA Hour, former UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko put Bell on blast for how he scored the fifth round 10-8 for Alexa Grasso as it essentially cost Shevchenko the win. She mentioned that there is no excuse for what he did and that there needs to be accountability, saying:

"He [Mike Bell] did some inexplicable thing and I think that the whole world would love to hear the explanation...He is going to live with that mistake forever."