UFC 305 in Perth delivered some truly exciting moments, including a pair of highlight-reel finishes from Carlos Prates and Kai Kara-France—not to mention Dricus Du Plessis’ shocking fourth-round submission victory over Israel Adesanya to retain the middleweight title.
Unfortunately, one of the more memorable moments of the night came courtesy of an MMA judge who had pundits calling for his head after delivering one of the most controversial scorecards of the year.
In the second main card bout of the evening, heavyweight knockout artists Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Tai Tuivasa stepped inside the Octagon for a fight everyone expected to end early. Instead, both fighters were very measured in their approach—especially Tuivasa who only landed 37 total strikes at a 29% clip. By comparison, ‘Bigi Boi’ connected on 92 of his 185 thrown strikes.
Long before the scorecards were read, it was clear that Rozenstruik had his 15th career win in the bag.
However, Judge Howie Booth didn’t see it that way. Booth inexplicably scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Tuivasa.
#UFC305 Official Scorecard: Jairzinho Rozenstruik (@JairRozenstruik) vs Tai Tuivasa
Complete Perth Scorecards ➡️: https://t.co/Nwdw7XmJlS@WestAustralia | #WAtheDreamState pic.twitter.com/wwz23VAY9F
— UFC News (@UFCNews) August 18, 2024
Kevin Iole Calls for UFC 305 Judge Howie Booth to Be Removed and Quickly Gets His Wish
Luckily, Booth’s inept scoring didn’t keep Rozenstruik out of the win column, but fearing the damage he could do during the rest of the card, everyone was calling for Booth to be relieved of his duties—including respected MMA journalist Kevin Iole.
Howie Booth ABSOLUTELY should be let go. He should not be allowed to judge another fight on this card at the very least. Outrageous #UFC305
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) August 18, 2024
In an interesting twist, Iole got his wish shortly after when Jon Anik announced on the live broadcast that Booth had been excused for the evening.
Howie Booth, who had Tuivasa winning 3-0, was scheduled to work co-main event between Kara-France and Erceg, but I have been told he has been PULLED from the bout. He’s done for the night. #UFC305
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) August 18, 2024
Ben Cartlidge stepped in and took over judging duties for Booth in the co-main event of the evening between Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg. Of course, Cartlidge’s scorecard was not needed after Kara-France scored a stunning first-round KO against the one-time title challenger just past the four-minute mark.
Cartlidge was also part of the panel for the main event between Du Plessis and Adesanya. ‘DDP’ finished the fight in the fourth via a rear-naked choke, but it was later revealed that Cartlidge was the only judge who had ‘The Last Stylebender’ up 29-28 going into the round while the other two judges had Du Plessis up 2-1.
UFC Exec Discusses Booth’s Removal During Post-Fight Press Conference
UFC executive Dave Shaw addressed Booth’s removal during the UFC 305 post-fight press conference.
“They probably spoke to Dave Lewis. But don’t forget that the Western Australia Combat Sports Commission, they’re the lead committee here. So, they are responsible for those decisions. And I guess someone made the call on, you know, the performance was probably not worth keeping them involved for the rest of the night,” Shaw stated.
Moreover, Shaw didn’t seem too bothered with the Commission’s action because he believed “It’s good checks and balances.”
“Maybe it’s good to sit on the bench for a while, and reconsider the work, and try to figure out how to get back on track and do a better job next time,” Shaw added.
UFC exec Dave Shaw reacts to the Australia Commission removing judge Howie Booth from #UFC305 after his egregious 30-27 scorecard for Tai Tuivasa. pic.twitter.com/UXQSWeUB8e
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 18, 2024
