Dana White: UFC treating 'robbed' Ross Pearson like he won, will give him 'next level fight'

Ross Pearson would love nothing more than to get another crack at Diego Sanchez to prove he's the better fighter after "Real Deal" was on the wrong end of a terrible judges' decision last weekend (June 7, 2014) at UFC Fight Night 42.

A fight most believed the British banger clearly won (highlights here).

Of course, Pearson would also like the rematch to take place on neutral territory, not Diego's hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where their initial lightweight bout took place.

But according to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White, the rematch will not happen, as he has bigger things planned for Pearson, the man who should have been the rightful winner in "The Duke City."

Speaking to ESPN, White gives his thoughts on the "horrible" judges' decision and says Pearson will be treated as a winner -- not a loser -- moving forward.

His words:

"It was horrible. In the second round, Diego got dropped and one judge still gave him that round. Insanity, man. Pearson got robbed. Pearson won that fight clearly. He easily won that fight. We have to treat Pearson like he won and give him that next level fight."

Furthermore, White dismissed hometown favoritism on the part of the judges, explaining that they are brought in from all over the country, not necessarily from the city the event is being held at.

He also wasn't very happy with the one judge that gave all three rounds to Sanchez.

His words:

"The thing about our sport is there's never any of that hometown advantage bullshit. Yeah, more people are going to be cheering for you than the other guy, but it's not like the judges are all from that town. Usually, athletic commissions pull the best from around the country. Whoever gave that fight all three rounds to Sanchez should never judge a fight again."

After the bout, Pearson and Co. filed an appeal with the New Mexico Athletic Commission (NMAC), but according to the ESPN report, it wasn't done in time to be reviewed by the commission on Tuesday (June 10, 2014).

Furthermore, NMAC representative, Richard Espinoza, declined to give the commission's stance on the decision.

For Pearson, hearing that UFC higher-ups will treat his "loss" as a win will be quite welcome as he worried that the setback would cost him some major coin as he and his team get set to negotiate a new fight contract with the ZUFFA-owned promotion.

No word on whether or not Ross will get his win bonus, too.

While the news is good for Pearson, what, if anything, does it mean for Diego?