LAS VEGAS – Augusto Sakai won Saturday night, but not without a little bit of controversy.
Entering the third round of his UFC on ESPN 9 fight against Blagoy Ivanov, the judges’ scorecards were close. Two of the three judges scored the fight a tie at one round apiece. The third judge had Ivanov (18-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) up two rounds to nothing.
As the final round’s clock wound down, the margin of error was thin. One big move could steal the fight for either competitor. Ivanov gained an advantageous position for a takedown, but upon the attempt, Sakai (15-1-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) grabbed the fence.
The takedown was prevented and referee Jason Herzog elected not to take a point away. After the fight concluded, Sakai was named the victor by split decision.
At a post-fight news conference, Sakai explained the grab, saying it was unintentional. Fence grab or not, Sakai doesn’t think it factored into the final outcome.
“It was something completely subconscious,” Sakai told MMA Junkie. “It was involuntary. I didn’t really plan on it. It was something I would never have done on purpose. It wouldn’t have changed the result of the fight. I won the fight.”
With the victory, Sakai, 29, remains unbeaten under the promotion’s banner. According to Sakai, the win over Ivanov should propel him into a top 10 matchup next.
“I’d really like someone ranked in the top 10,” Sakai said. “Whoever is available, I’m ready to go.”
Check out the full UFC on ESPN 9 post-fight news conference scrum with Augusto Sakai in the video above.
Augusto Sakai says unintentional UFC on ESPN 9 fence grab didn't change fight's outcome