Duke Roufus is not a fan of the judges that scored the UFC Auckland main event clash between Dan Hooker and Paul Felder.
When the fight ended, the media were torn on who had won as it was a very close. But, in the end, it was Hooker who edged out a split-decision win. For Roufus, he says that cemented his lack of confidence in the judges.
“I don’t have much confidence anymore in judges,” Roufus said of this Felder vs. Hooker decision. “All these kids, when things don’t go well for them and they have a bad performance, they’re expected to go to the press conference and give all their answers, all their reasons,” Roufus said on the Luke Thomas Show (via BJPENN.com). Guys like you call me up after a fight and good, bad, or indifferent, I answer your questions as painfully as they are sometimes when we crap the bed as a team. Whereas all the referees and judges they get to vanish into thin air.”
For Duke Roufus, he says that decision cost Paul Felder $82,000 and hopes commissions will go to five judges to get better results.
“We’ve got to make a better stance on this,” the long-time Paul Felder coach said. “One, I think there should be five judges. Two, I think there should be up-to-the-year updating. Three, judges: don’t be fans of the sport, be students of the sport. That’s the problem with judging. When judges make mistakes, they get to home with the same paycheck. Paul Felder lost $82,000 because of the judges. That’s a considerable income. Do I think he’s worth more? For sure, but at the end of day, that’s $82,000. That’s a lot of milk money.”
