UFC Fight Night 73: The Controversy Between Michael Johnson and Beneil Dariush

In mixed martial arts, close fights are bound to occur on nearly every card. For UFC Fight Night 73 on Saturday, the bout between Michael Johnson and Beneil Dariush came down to a controversial split decision. Dariush walked away with the victory on two of the judges' scorecards in a fight that many individuals felt Johnson won.

When looking at the statistics and outcry over this result, it is easy to understand why so many people were upset with the announcement that Dariush was declared the winner.

Johnson was riding a four-fight win streak coming into this bout. His speed and combinations seemed to confuse Dariush, as Johnson even dropped him with a powerful shot late in the first round.

Dariush struggled to get Johnson to the ground, where he could attempt to implement his grappling game. Dariush attempted seven takedowns throughout the fight, but Johnson stuffed them all and negated that factor of his opponent’s game.

According to the bout report from FightMetric, both men landed 37 percent of their significant strikes. However, Johnson was a bit more active, as he scored with 84 significant strikes compared to Dariush's 75.

In two of the three rounds, Dariush was statistically more accurate with his striking, but Johnson was the more active fighter in Round 1 and Round 2. Looking at these breakdowns shows just how close this fight was from a numbers perspective.

Still, MMA is not all about numbers.

MMA Decisions chronicles judging decisions, and its report shows some conflicting views. Judges Richard Bertrand and Douglas Crosby scored the fight for Dariush, while Sal D’Amato gave the win to Johnson. All 11 of the media members involved scored the fight for Johnson.

During the post-fight press conference, both men insinuated that Johnson may have won the fight. Dariush recognized how close the fight was from start to finish.

“When I heard it was a split decision, I know it could have gone either way and I would have understood,” Dariush said.

“I saw the confusion on everyone’s face,” Johnson said. "I feel like I pushed the pace throughout the fight and stuffed all of his takedowns. I controlled the whole fight and that’s why you don’t leave it to the judges. Maybe I’ll try to get on a card where these judges aren’t judging but I can’t control that."

Coming into this fight, Johnson was on a major push toward a shot at the lightweight championship. He is ranked in the No. 5 position, and a victory could have potentially lined up bouts against men who are sitting ahead of him. Dariush is sitting in position No. 12, and this victory might push him into the Top 10 within the division. This was his fifth straight victory dating back to August 2014.

Close and controversial decisions occur frequently in the MMA community. The public and media feel like Johnson took the victory, but the judges did not agree with that outcome. In the past the UFC has treated these controversial decisions as a victory for the slighted party, so it will be interesting to see what is next for both Johnson and Dariush.