Judges Gonna Judge: Was Jeff Molina the only one surprised by 30-27 score at UFC Fight Night 207?

Welcome to “Judges Gonna Judge,” where our MMA Junkie staff panel revisits the most controversial decision that occurred over the weekend.

This week, we look at the flyweight matchup between Jeff Molina and Zhalgas Zhumagulov on the prelims of UFC Fight Night 207 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

This three-round battle left the official judges split in their scores, but the final 30-27 scorecard that was read by announcer Joe Martinez shocked everyone, including the fighter who received it.

Jeff Molina and Zhalgas Zhumagulov went through many emotions as the scorecards were read for their split decision, which Molina edged out.#UFCVegas56 | More: https://t.co/pXeQTBEpGM pic.twitter.com/dxaturdSsQ

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 4, 2022

All three official judges submitted different scores for the fight. Mike Bell turned in a score of 29-28 in favor of Zhumagulov, Sal D’Amato saw the fight 29-28 for Molina, and Anthony Maness turned in the surprising 30-27 card, scoring every round for Molina which resulted in the 24-year-old flyweight taking home a split decision win.

Media who submitted their unofficial scores overwhelmingly saw the fight in Zhumagulov’s favor as 12 of the 13 scores submitted on MMA Decisions were in favor of the fighter from Kazakhstan.

MMA Junkie’s Matthew Wells, Nolan King, and Danny Segura put on their judging hats and break the fight down by each round.