Ilir Latifi does not agree with the judges following his loss to Derrick Lewis.
Latifi and Lewis shared the Octagon on Feb. 8 at UFC 247. The bout was held inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Despite having success with the takedowns, things didn’t go Latifi’s way as Lewis was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
Ilir Latifi Isn’t Pleased With UFC 247 Judges
Latifi spoke to MMAFighting.com‘s Damon Martin following the loss. He believes that some home cooking was at play with the score totals.
“To be honest, I know I was on his home turf,” Latifi explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “I’m coming from Sweden. I’m coming to the U.S. I’m coming to Houston. I’m fighting the hometown pride, Derrick Lewis, who is one of the most favorite fighters in the UFC. I like him, too. He’s funny as hell. He’s humble. Nothing to take from that but I knew that I wasn’t fighting just Derrick.
“I was fighting the judges. I was fighting everybody in that arena that night. When I came there, I knew what it was. When the fight was over, you saw Derrick’s face. He knew that he lost that fight.”
The judging was the main talking point of UFC 247. Many fans were not happy with the score totals for several bouts on the card. The biggest controversy was the main event. Not one judge had Dominick Reyes outpointing Jon Jones, yet many fans and reporters scored the fight 48-47 in favor of “The Devastator.” One judge even scored the fight 49-46 for Jones.
With the defeat, Latifi falls to 14-8, 1 NC in his pro MMA career. “The Sledgehammer” is on a three-fight skid. Latifi hasn’t won a bout since Feb. 2018.
Meanwhile for Lewis, he’s now won back-to-back bouts. It’s been a good rebound for “The Black Beast” as he found himself in a two-fight skid in early March 2019.
