MMA: Worst Robberies of 2011

2011 was a milestone year for mixed martial arts. New champions were crowned, huge television deals were made and the notion of being mainstream is becoming more and more of a reality.

But despite all the strides that the sport has made over the past year, poor judging remains a problem within MMA. Too many fighters who give it there all inside the cage continue to get robbed of a well earned decision.

Here are the worst robberies from 2011.

10. Tony Ferguson vs. Yves Edwards, TUF 14 Finale

At the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale in December, lightweights Tony Ferguson and Yves Edwards went to war in a back and forth battle that saw both fighters in trouble at various points in the fight.

Ferguson was awarded with the win, but many thought that the unanimous decision victory was a lot closer than the 30-27 that two of the judges scored.

Damage wise, Edwards landed more devastating strikes than Ferguson, highlighted by a flurry of pitches and a flying knee that caused the former Ultimate Fighter winner to bleed from his nose.

To his credit, Ferguson threatened Edwards with various locks and in the stand-up on a few occasions, but the last two rounds should have been in Edwards' favor.

9. Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. James Thompson, KSW 17

In their first battle, James Thompson had no problem dispatching former five-time World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski, catching the Polish heavyweight with an arm-triangle choke in the first round.

But when the two faced off in November at KSW 17, little did Thompson know that his real opponent would be corrupt judging.

Thompson controlled the entire fight, repeatedly landing trips from the clinching and holding the top position on the ground. When the fight was over, however, Pudzianowski was awarded the decision win.

This call caused an uproar, as Thompson led a verbal assault at KSW, accusing them of fixing the fight. Two days later, the fight's decision was overturned and called a no contest due to a "judge's error."

8. Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson, UFC 130

Former WEC Bantamweight champion Miguel Torres had a lot on his plate at UFC 130. His opponent, Demetrious Johnson, was coming in on a roll with three straight wins.

He used this momentum to put Torres on his back with his superior wrestling. In most cases, the repeated take downs would be enough for the decision win—not in this case.

Going off of pure damage, Torres deserved the nod, as he broke Johnson's fibula in the second round with a leg kick.

Considering who worked more, again, Torres deserved the win because of his masterful jiu-jitsu performance off of his back. The former champion repeatedly swept Johnson a record six times into the full mount.

This is a prime example of why take downs hold too much credence in scoring MMA.

7. Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman, UFC 132

UFC lightweight Dennis Siver was expected to dominate at UFC 132 against underdog Matt Wiman.

Not only did Wiman make Siver's night more difficult, but many believe that he took the fight as well.

All three judges scored the bout 29-28 in Siver's favor, causing Wiman to throw his hat in disgust and leave the cage as fans booed the decision.

Many feel that the second round should have been scored a 10-8 round, as Wiman dominated his German foe with a consensus that a draw or a win for Wiman would have been appropriate.

6. Kyle Kingsbury vs. Fabio Maldonado, TUF 13 Finale

This light-heavyweight bout between Kyle Kingsbury and Fabio Maldonado at the Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale was a hard fought battle, but most fans and analysts agree that the judges made a huge mistake with their decision.

Kingsbury was awarded the win despite being bloodied up and bruised by Maldonado's superior striking, especially in the first and third rounds.

The fight took Fight of the Night, but Maldonado's 11-fight winning streak was halted.

5. Satoshi Ishii vs. Paulo Filho, Amazon FC 1

One of the biggest robberies outside of the major promotions, veterans Satoshi Ishii and Paulo Filho caused a stir after their bout in Amazon FC's first event.

Ishii had imposed his game plan the entire fight, forcing Filho out of his comfort zone by posting him against the cage, where he battered the Brazilian with punches, elbows and knees.

Many outlets scored the fight 30-27 for Ishii, but the judges ruled the bout a draw, causing the crowd to jeer and boo.

After the fight, Filho event admitted that Ishii was the better fighter in the bout and deserved the victory.

4. Joe Warren vs. Marcos Galvao, Bellator 41

For the majority of the fight, bantamweight Marcos Galvao not only held his own against Bellator champion Joe Warren, but brought the fight to him as well.

Galvao negated almost every take down attempt and even scored a few of his own.  At one point, Galvao even had Warren's back.

Despite doing more work on the ground and landing solid knees in the clinch, the judges gave Warren the unanimous decision win, a shock to fans and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney as well. Commentator Jimmy Smith thought that Galvao took the fight 29-28, a sentiment that many MMA news outlets shared.

Luckily for the Brazilian, Rebney added Galvao to the bantamweight tournament, making in to the semifinals.  

3. Michihiro Omigawa vs. Darren Elkins, UFC 131

As soon as the decision was announced at UFC 131, fans in the stands and at home new that they were in for a long night after the ridiculous decision during the featherweight battle between Michihiro Omigawa and Darren Elkins.

Omigawa had bested Elkins in the three-round affair, but inexplicably, all three judges scored the bout in Elkins' favor. Omigawa was so angry over the decision that matchmaker Joe Silva had to beg him to leave the Octagon, as he wanted to pull a Kazushi Sakuraba, staying inside to protest.

UFC President Dana White would award both fighters with a win bonus, but the protest by fans and Omigawa would again expose the flaws in MMA's judging today.

2. Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann, UFC on Versus 3

The March battle between UFC welterweights Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann was one of the most head scratching decisions in recent history.

Throughout the entire fight, Kampmann picked Sanchez apart with his superior striking, causing his face to swell up and bleed profusely.

Despite his three dominant rounds, Sanchez got the nod because he would come out in aggressive flurries, but in reality, sustained more damage than he gave.

This was a clear cut example of judges scoring based off of misplaced aggression rather than technique.

1. Nick Ring vs. Riki Fukuda, UFC 127

The biggest robbery of 2011 that went virtually under the radar, the UFC 127 bout between Nick Ring and Riki Fukuda epitomizes terrible judging.

Fukuda dominated Ring in his UFC debut, landing take downs in every round and controlling the fight in both the stand-up and on the ground. In the second and third rounds, Fukuda turned on the heat, landing a myriad of strikes and take downs on the clearly rusty Ring.

All three judges gave Ring the first two rounds and Fukuda the last, a controversial victory for Ring that caused an uproar.

Dana White tweeted, "Judges f***ing suck again!! Fukuda got robbed!!!" and awarded both fighters the win bonus.

Every major MMA news outlet scored the bout 30-27 for Fukuda, making this the most obvious and egregious robbery of the past year.

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