Daniel Cormier responded to the two controversies that took place at Noche UFC.
The aftermath of Noche UFC has featured ongoing debates and questions, taking away some of the aura from a special event. Firstly, most fans were shocked that Mike Bell gave Alexa Grasso a 10-8 score for round five, altering the main event from a Valentina Shevchenko win to a split-decision draw.
During his post-fight reaction shared on YouTube, Daniel Cormier addressed Bell’s controversial scorecard for the women’s flyweight title fight by saying:
“It felt to me like Mike Bell, I don’t know what he could have watched to score that fifth round a 10-8 for Alexa Grasso. She won the round, no doubt about it, she won the round, but a 10-8? It is honestly one of the worst scorecards that I’ve seen in a really long time.”
The draw at Noche UFC could drastically change the trajectory of Valentina Shevchenko’s fighting career, putting further attention on Mike Bell.
Shevchenko has now suffered a loss and a draw against Alexa Grasso for the UFC women’s flyweight title. Therefore, the UFC might decide to give the next title shot to Manon Fiorot or Erin Blanchfield, potentially putting ‘Bullet’ in a non-title fight for the first time since February 2018.
Grasso/Shevchenko scorecards #NocheUFC pic.twitter.com/gSUq7BGwnt
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) September 17, 2023
Daniel Cormier reacts to no-contest between Edgar Chairez and Daniel Lacerda
Mike Bell’s scorecard for Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko wasn’t the only controversial result at Noche UFC. During the preliminary card, Edgar Chairez and Daniel Lacerda met for a flyweight bout, which ended with disappointment.
In the first round, Chairez locked up a standing guillotine, and Chris Tognoni stepped in to stop the fight. Unfortunately, Tognoni pulled the trigger too early, as Lacerda didn’t tap or go unconscious, leading to a no-contest after further review.
This goes in as a NO CONTEST after referee Chris Tognoni makes a critical mistake to erroneously stop Daniel Lacerda as he defends a guillotine choke from Edgar Chairez. #UFCNoche #MMA pic.twitter.com/n7gnuueniY
— Talen Guzman (@TalenGuzman) September 17, 2023
During his YouTube reaction video, Daniel Cormier had this to say about Tognoni’s decision:
“I like Chris Tognoni, he’s a wrestling coach. He asked me inside the Octagon, ‘What did you guys think?’ I said in his face, ‘I thought you made a mistake.’ I said you gotta wait…Tognoni made a mistake on that call, but it wasn’t as egregious as the Mike Bell scorecard.”
Overall, Noche UFC was a success due to a significant contribution from the Mexican crowd. The fight card featured several action-packed wars and impressive finishes, with five $50,000 performance bonuses awarded to Raul Rosas Jr., Daniel Zellhuber, Lupita Godinez, Roman Kopylov, and Charlie Campbell.
Watch Daniel Cormier’s entire Noche UFC reaction video below:
