A judge in a controversial decision at UFC 247 had a potential conflict of interest with one of the fighters involved, and the competitor on the wrong end of the scorecard is none too pleased.
Texas judge Joe Soliz scored the Feb. 8 bout in Houston between James Krause and Trevin Giles in favor of Giles, helping sway a split decision in Giles’ favor.
On Tuesday, TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter reported that Soliz had a connection with Giles’ gym, Elite MMA. Soliz trained under Eric Williams, who cornered Giles at UFC 247, and earned a black belt at the academy before leaving in 2010.
While all three judges scored the second round in Giles’ favor, Soliz was the only one who scored the first round — widely believed to be all Krause — in Giles’ favor. That made the difference as Giles won the middleweight fight by split decision, getting the better end of two out of three 29-28 scores.
The appearance of bias was enough to enrage Krause, who accepted the bout on a single day’s notice after late withdrawal by Antonio Arroyo.
subject of much heated discussion, especially from color commentator Joe Rogan.
James Krause furious over UFC 247 judge Joe Soliz's alleged conflict of interest
