Sherdog.com’s 2015 Robbery of the Year

2. Cathal Pendred vs. Sean Spencer
UFC Fight Night “McGregor vs. Siver”
Saturday, Jan. 18
TD Garden | Boston
Few decisions in 2015 garnered more vitriol than the one handed to Cathal Pendred at the UFC’s January card in Boston.

Early-year happenings sometimes can be forgotten or overlooked when it comes to year-end awards, but there was never a chance of that with this fight. From the moment the scorecards were read, public opinion seemed overwhelmingly opposed to the verdict the judges had rendered. Op-eds were written, harsh tweets were sent and rematches were called for.

Pendred’s controversial win over Sean Spencer was so reviled because it was symptomatic of a larger problem with MMA judging: the apparent belief that simply taking one’s opponent to the ground or holding them against the fence should could just as much as a damaging knockdown blow.

Much of the opening round saw Spencer backed up against the fence, defending prolonged double-leg attempts from the Irishman. When he did manage to pull Spencer to the floor, Pendred did little with his advantageous position. Once Spencer was back on his feet, he pulled ahead in a hurry by blasting Pendred with a trio of nasty overhand rights, the last of which sent “The Punisher” crashing to the floor. In a matter of seconds, Spencer had mounted more offense and inflicted more damage than did Pendred in the remainder of the round. However, only judge David Ginsberg awarded the round to Spencer, while judges Eric Colon and Douglas Crosby scored it 10-9 in favor of Pendred.

The second was a much closer round in which Spencer once again narrowly outscored Pendred on significant strikes, including another blistering overhand right which sent the Irishman scrambling for a takedown. Pendred’s work on the ground in this frame could not be ignored, however, as he appeared to have Spencer in serious danger with a leg-scissor kimura attempt in the waning moments. All three judges scored the round in Pendred’s favor.

As both men tired down the stretch, Spencer landed the crisper shots in the final round and used good head movement to avoid Pendred’s longer, slower strikes. Spencer pressed forward and controlled the cage for nearly the entire round, while Pedred largely plodded off his back foot, save for a brief takedown late in the frame. Once again, all three judges saw the round for Pendred, giving him a clean sweep of 30-27 on two cards and one 29-28 score.

Cageside judges and MMA media often see bouts in different ways, but this was an extreme case. MMADecisions.com tracked the scores of 16 media members, all of whom scored the fight for Spencer, including a dozen 30-27 scorecards. Even UFC President Dana White spoke out against the decision, which came on the same day as Donald Cerrone’s widely disputed decision win over Benson Henderson.

“I had them both the other way,” White said. “I had them both the opposite of what the judges scored it, but I always say don’t leave it in the hands of the judges. If you want to win the fight, win the fight.”

Later, Pendred criticized UFC commentator Joe Rogan for what the welterweight believed to be biased commentary which swayed the opinions of viewers. However, the middle of the year brought more proof that Pendred has a penchant for stealing scores: In his UFC 189 duel with John Howard -- scored by nearly every fight fan and pundit as either 30-27 or 29-28 for Howard -- Pendred somehow earned a 29-28 scorecard from judge Tony Weeks. Call it the luck of the Irish.

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