A UFC 247 judge reportedly has ties to Trevin Giles, and James Krause is none too pleased.
Earlier this month, Krause went one-on-one with Giles on the featured preliminary bout of UFC 247. After three rounds of action, Giles was awarded the split decision victory. While the bout was close, judge Joe Soliz may have found himself in hot water.
UFC 247 Judge Allegedly Had Ties To Fighter, Krause Not Happy
As mentioned, the bout was close. One major red flag, however, is that Soliz scored the opening round in favor of Giles. Many believed that Krause clearly won the first round due to maintaining back control.
A report from TSN revealed that Soliz earned his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Eric Williams of Elite MMA in 2008. Williams is Giles’ head coach. In addition to that, Soliz and Giles are friends on Facebook. Soliz made the claim to TSN that he hasn’t been in contact with the gym in over eight years.
Krause took to his Instagram account to let it be known that he isn’t buying Soliz’s words one bit.
“If this isn’t the most frustrating sh*t for me in the world I don’t know what… how is this not a conflict of interest? Training at someone’s gym for 10+ years and receiving a black belt from the coach corner my opponent.
“I no way am I mad I lost the fight, it was close. 1 was mine, 2 was his, and 3 was a toss up. But round 3 was given to me on 2/3 cards. It was round 1 they scored for him. After a take down and almost 4 minutes of back control, not to mention almost finishing the RNC, I don’t know how they would give that round to him. This sport has been around for too long to not start making changes. I know the Texas State Athletic Commission wont do a damn thing about my fight. They never do but I hope the @ufc, @danawhite, and the state commissions can come together to actually make the judging for OUR sport, not boxing and hold the people doing these jobs accountable. This is a disgrace to our sport. Not just my fight but multiple examples of incompetence from the same judge.
“So frustrated to even read this sh*t… and remember I lost half my purse because of this guy.”
Krause took the bout with Giles at the 11th hour. Giles was set to take on Antonio Arroyo but Arroyo was forced off the card after medical issues. The loss snaps Krause’s six-fight winning streak.
As for Giles, his two-fight skid has been snapped. It’s possible that the victory over Krause saved him from being released from the UFC. Usually, fighters without a big name or a fan-favorite fighting style get the boot after dropping three straight. Giles certainly doesn’t lack excitement but getting the win always helps.
What do you make of UFC 247 judge Joe Soliz allegedly having a conflict of interest in the Trevin Giles vs. James Krause bout?
