Judges Gonna Judge: Did Arman Tsarukyan deserve UFC 300 nod vs. Charles Oliveira?

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

In this installment, we take a closer look at a UFC 300 main card bout in Las Vegas, a fight billed as a lightweight No. 1 contender bout between former champion Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.

The fight was filled with intense grappling exchanges, with both fighters having key moments over the course of 15 minutes. After the final horn sounded, the judges submitted dueling 29-28 scores, with two seeing Tsarukyan as the winner.

Tsarukyan was surprised to hear a judge score the fight for Oliveira, although many watching the fight felt differently, as the former champion nearly ended it by submission more than once.

Twenty media members who submitted scores to MMA Decisions scored the fight 29-28 for Tsarukyan, while eight, including MMA Junkie, issued the same score for Oliveira. One media member scored all three rounds for Tsarukyan.

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Simon Samano and Matthew Wells put on their judging hats and break the fight down by each round.

If you need a refresher on the official scoring criteria before we dive in, you can check it out here.