UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz" last night (Oct. 29, 2011) featured eight decisions in 11 fights. There's little question that one of the closest of those eight was the main card featherweight match-up pitting Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop.
After three rounds of back-and-forth action, the judges awarded a split decision to the Japanese import. The importance of this win cannot be understated, as it positions Hioki, the number three ranked 145-pound fighter in the world, for a title shot in the very near future.
But was he deserving of the victory?
The Fight Metric report (click here for the full breakdown) shows that he was not. As expected, Roop won the striking battle rather handily. He outlanded his opponent 90-58 in total strikes, though Hioki had one more strike to the head (39-38).
This isn't boxing, though, and Hioki did his most damage utilizing his vaunted ground game. Let's look at the grappling report, then, to delve a little further into this contest.
Roop was successful in both of his takedown attempts, compared to Hioki's two in seven attempts, but Hioki was credited with three passes, one to side control and two to mount.
That's good but was it really enough to win?
Hioki has the higher performance rating (click here for an explanation on that) but under the current 10-point must scoring system in MMA, Roop should have been declared the winner, as he won two of the three rounds.
That's according to Fight Metric's scoring. I, personally, also sided with Roop, though it's certainly up for debate.
Who did you Maniacs think won the fight?
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