The main event at UFC on FOX 10 between Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson came down to the judges scorecards. Unfortunately like many headlining fights in the past it came with some controversy.
Media POV: How did they score the Henderson vs Thomson fight?
Henderson came out of the gate strong, but that was quickly negated by a slick takedown and back take by Thomson. He rode out that spot for the majority of the first round. “The Punk” was able to land numerous takedowns throughout the rest of the fight and had Henderson in some precarious positions. The former champ, Henderson, was able to control the Octagon and push the pace, but he never had Thomson in danger.
After five gruelling rounds Bruce Buffer read the scorecards and Henderson took home the split decision victory.
Twitter and Facebook erupted immediately with comments like, “the worst decision ever” and “again?”
I personally had it even going in to the fifth and final frame, with Thomson winning rounds 1 & 4 and Henderson taking 2 & 3. The fifth round was fairly lacklustre and I gave the slight edge to Henderson for Octagon control. My final score was 48-47 Henderson, but I wouldn’t have been upset with it flipped.
I caught up with some of the best in the business when it comes to the media and they gave me their scores for the main event between Henderson and Thomson.
***
Damon Martin (FOX Sports): 48-47 Thomson. Very close fight but I felt Thomson edged it out with his takedowns and superior control.
Duane Finley (Bleacher Report): I had the same brother (48-47 Henderson.) After last bell I turned to Martin & Okamoto asked if they also had Bendo. I was shocked when they said Thomson but not in the normal way….I was shocked bc everyone had it. Started to worry there was something I missed.
Ian Bain (MMA Opinion): I had Thomson 48-47 with him winning 1,2 and 4. Close fight though.
Matt Erickson (MMA Junkie): I had it 4-1 for Henderson, giving him obviously 2-3-4-5. I just finished watching the fight again on TV instead of cageside. Last night, I thought R2 was close – but was pretty confident in 3-4-5 for Henderson. Today, watching it again, I feel much better giving Henderson R2 and the round I’d maybe waver on would be R4. But no matter what, worst-case scenario, I would have it 3-2 for Henderson – and still leaning toward 4-1. I know Thomson had some takedowns, but except for the first round, he didn’t really threaten with them. Henderson was superior in the striking game, and he stuffed a lot of takedowns, as well. I don’t weigh that as heavily as a takedown, but when you couple the takedown defenses when they happened along with the better striking, I think that’s where Henderson edged out those rounds for me. 49-46 seems like a blowout score, but obviously the fight was far from a blowout for me. I just thought Henderson did just a tiny bit more in 2-5 to get the nod.
Jeff Sherwood (Sherdog): I thought Josh won 4 rounds to 1 giving Henderson round 3.
Justin Faux (MMA Kanvas): I personally thought it was a very close fight, which may sound a little strange considering I had a 49-46 score for Josh Thomson. That being said, every frame was debatable (besides the third for Henderson) and both men had their moments throughout the contest.
As usual with a fight this close, many are calling robbery, but I think we should save our torches and pitchforks for a real outrageous call.
Ted Gruber (MMA Sucka): I had it 48-47 Thomson.
Zeus (Middle Easy): The power of Jesus gave Bendo an extra point. Should be a draw.
Brad Gustafson (Fight Parrot): I scored it 48-47 Thomson Rds 1, 2, & 4. But honestly it could have gone either way so I’m really not surprised. However, fighting at that caliber with a broken hand and after a shit training camp is super impressive for Josh.
Steve Muehlhausen (Between the Ropes): I had the main event 48-47 Thomson my man.Fight was really close and on a lot of occasions, he held back and didn’t do too much and Bendo capitalized. Great fight.
Brian Hemminger (MMA Oddsbreaker): I scored it 49-46 for Thomson, but can understand that the fight was close. Henderson outstruck “The Punk” pretty heavily throughout the fight, but was repeatedly put in bad grappling situations. The first and fourth rounds were clear Thomson rounds while the third was clearly for Henderson. It’s the second and fifth that are up for grabs, in my opinion. I felt Thomson did enough in the second to take it, having scored a dominant position with the back-take and body triangle in the second and perhaps I was biased in the fifth round because I was so impressed with Thomson’s display of heart, fighting with the broken hand and still taking it to the former champion. But regardless, I feel Thomson should have won the fight. The 49-46 score for Henderson is absolutely indefensible.
Erik Fontanez (MMA Weekly):I had it even going into the fifth, and gave the slight edge to Thomson 48-47. But after reading the strike totals, I can see how two out of three judges scored it for Bendo. Active offense can tilt a fight in favor of a fighter, and I think that’s what happened last night.
Carlin Bardsley (In the Cage with Bards): 49-46 Thomson. Thought he took every round except 3 where he was waiting for his hand to numb up a bit. Henderson has that Francois Carmont thing happening where whatever the judges are seeing when they watch him fight, I’m missing it. Even if you can argue a 48-47 Bendo card, 49-46 for Benson was among the more perplexing cards of our time.
Randi Lotsberg (MMA Xposed): 48-47 Thomson rounds 1,2 & 3 and considering Thomson broken hand I would have expected more from Henderson with that advantage. Sloppy judging.
James Lynch (Sportsnet): I scored the fight 48-47 Thomson. With Rounds 1, 2, 4 going to The Punk. Round 2 was probably the toughest to score in the fight.
Dwight Wakabayashi (MMA Canada): I had it 48-47 Henderson with Rd 2 being the close one. Weird fight seems Thomson was more crafty grappling but Bendo too strong.
Adam Martin (MMA Oddsbreaker): Josh Thomson. Rounds 1,2, and 4. Gave Benson 3 and 5. Thought it was one of the worst decisions in recent memory.
Jason Kelly (MMA Diehards): I had it 48-47 Henderson. A score of 49-46 is absurd. It was a close fight, but I think Henderson did enough to win. Round 1 was definitely Thomson. Round 4 was close but I give it to Thomson. Rounds 2,3 and 5 were Henderson’s, as he was clearly the aggressor and did significantly more damage.
Anton Skoro (FIST-TA-CUFF RADIO): It all comes down to round 2. I gave Josh 1 & 4 hands down. Benson ended up winning 3 & 5. I gave Josh the 2nd round for the win…
It was a close fight and I could see either guy getting the nod… My problem comes with Sal D’Amato and his 4 rounds to 1… WHAT FIGHT WAS HE WATCHING???
Also where does the 155lb. division go from here. Benson won’t get a title shot for a while, Thomson is 35 and has a broken thumb and you have to think his time is running short. Last night did nothing to clear up the division.
***
So there you have it, some thought it was Henderson who won the fight, while the majority of media members felt it was Thomson’s night.
Media members who scored the fight for Henderson: 5
Media members who scored the fight for Thomson: 14
