Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski went the distance in a closely contested bout for the lightweight title at UFC 284. Islam ended up winning this bout, much to the displeasure of many in the MMA world. And UFC commentator Joe Rogan seems to be one of them as indicated by his reaction to Makhachev’s win.
At UFC 284, Alexander Volkanovski surprised many with his performance. Most people, including bookmakers, were favoring Makhachev to dominate the proceedings in the UFC 284 main event. But the UFC featherweight champion proved everyone, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, wrong with his performance at UFC 284. However, despite his best efforts, and to the shock of many including Rogan, Alexander Volkanovski lost the decision at UFC 284.
On the fight companion that Joe Rogan did for UFC 284, fans saw him react to the fight. Joe Rogan’s eyes remained fixated on the screen until Buffer announced the winner. As soon as Buffer said, “And still…”, Rogan began looking away. The only thing he said was, “Oh My God” repeatedly while carrying a bewildered expression on his face. It was clear that the host of the Joe Rogan Experience, like many others, was shocked by the result of this fight.
Rogan gave some of his thoughts regarding the winner after his initial shock wore off. He said, “In my eyes, it was 3-2 [in favor of Volkanovski]… One of those scorecards is crazy… Bro, he [Islam Makhachev] lost that fight...” Even Joe Rogan was bewildered by the controversial decision made by the UFC 284 judges.
The judges’ controversial UFC 284 scorecard that shocked Joe Rogan
Islam Makhachev won at UFC 284 after all 3 judges scored the fight in his favor. As is evidenced by the countless posts that have been shared since then, the internet seemingly does not agree with this result. Many people, including UFC fighters and Joe Rogan, believed Volkanovski was robbed at UFC 284.
2 judges scored the 3rd and 5th round for the featherweight champion.However, the 3rd judge, Derek Cleary, scored all but one round for Alexander Volkanovski. Real-time judging and fight-prediction-sharing platform, Verdict MMA, released its official scorecard which was decided by fans. In it, fans had Volkanovski winning rounds 2,3, and 5.
#UFC284 Official Scorecards: Islam Makhachev (@MAKHACHEVMMA) vs Alexander Volkanovski
— UFC News (@UFCNews) February 12, 2023
See every judges' scorecard from #UFC284 here ➡️: https://t.co/enKup6T3NK pic.twitter.com/5DJgiyxJdU
The MMA world is still divided on who was the real winner of the UFC 284 main event. People have even argued that the UFC P4P #1 spot should not change hands after this event. Despite the controversy surrounding the decision, Islam Makhachev remains the legitimate winner of the bout, the new UFC P4P #1, and still the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.