UFC commentator Michael Bisping believes Lerone Murphy should have had his hand raised against Movsar Evloev.
On Saturday night, Lerone Murphy battled Movsar Evloev in a really close UFC London main event. The two featherweights went back and forth in an engaging and tight five-round contest and in the end, Evloev just about edged past the Englishman with a majority decision win, despite having a point deducted.
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Many fans, pundits and fellow fighters, however, believed that Murphy should have gotten the nod. As we have already noted, it was a very close bout, so there’s no way to call it a robbery, but it perhaps wasn’t as definitive as many would have hoped.
In a recent video, Michael Bisping, who was criticized by some for his commentary of the fight, had the following to say on the result.
Bisping’s view on Murphy vs Evloev result
“I’ll just get to the point: I thought Lerone — and I’ve got nothing against Movsar, and this is not me being biased, for all the American fans — I thought Lerone should have won that fight,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “I thought he won the first three rounds. I thought Movsar didn’t pick it up and really start going for it until Rounds 4 and 5. And clearly Movsar won Rounds 4 and 5. He dominated those rounds. He busted him up. He damaged him. Lerone was talking about at the end of 4, he blew his hip out and whatnot.
“But even still, that’s three rounds to two. And then, even if you give Movsar the third round, which was a close one, Movsar had a point deducted for the two groin shots. He had a point deducted in Round 4.”
“Tough one for Lerone. … But Movsar Evloev, you’ve got to say congrats, because maybe I’m wrong,” Bisping said. “Maybe I’ve got to watch the fight back. But I thought Lerone, his takedown defense was great. When Movsar did force the takedown, he was able to get back to his feet relatively easily. I thought he landed the cleaner strikes on the feet. Nothing with particular consequence. There wasn’t the biggest — he didn’t wobble him, and stumble him, and all that type of stuff. But I thought he landed the cleaner shots, and I thought he won the first three rounds.
“Now, maybe I’m wrong, but there was the point deduction. So, should it have been a draw? Because if it’s two rounds apiece, and let’s just say Movsar won three out of [five], well then, he’s essentially lost one of them because he loses the point. So, if anything, it should have been a draw, in my humble opinion.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
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