Jon Anik, commentating on the UFC 314 headliner between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, believed Volkanovski was ahead 30-27 after three rounds. This opinion wasn`t universally shared.
Anik was the lead commentator for the recent UFC pay-per-view, joined by Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan for color commentary. The event culminated in Volkanovski`s unanimous decision victory to reclaim the featherweight title. Following the main event, Rogan jokingly suggested that matchmaker Sean Shelby should be “drug tested” due to his disagreement with Anik’s assessment of the fight`s initial rounds. Anik elaborated on the origin of this moment.
“Towards the end of the 3rd round, I stated on air that ‘Diego Lopes might need to create some momentum here, as he’s in danger of being down 3-0,’” Anik told MMA Fighting. “I wasn`t immediately aware of Sean Shelby’s reaction, as I was focused on the broadcast. However, Daniel Cormier pointed it out to me. Looking down, I saw Maynard and Shelby giving me looks that suggested I was incompetent, although I stand by my observations.
“Since then, I’ve reviewed Round 4 and considered that perhaps I was partially incorrect in my critique of judge Sal D’Amato. Despite occasional disagreements between my understanding and official scoring, in that moment, Shelby seemed to believe, mistakenly in my opinion, that Diego Lopes might have been leading 2-1.”
Volkanovski secured the win with two scores of 49-46 and one of 48-47, marking a significant championship victory. “The Great” largely dominated the fight, except for being dropped in the second round and absorbing a significant blow in the fourth that momentarily stunned the now multiple-time world champion.
After re-examining the fight, Anik acknowledges the validity of scoring the bout entirely in favor of Volkanovski, despite Lopes’ impactful moments.
“Based on my re-watch and further analysis of the scoring retrospectively, a 50-45 score for Volkanovski is defensible,” Anik explained. “To put it concisely, the most significant strike of the fight occurred in round 4, and with all due respect to Diego Lopes, he arguably missed an opportunity by not capitalizing further. However, Volkanovski still landed twice as many strikes in that round.”
“I can now see why Sal might have scored that round for Volkanovski. But my initial thought was, if a fighter lands the most impactful strike of the fight and comes close to a finish, shouldn`t that round belong to them?”
“Ultimately, I scored rounds 1, 2, 3, and 5 for Volkanovski.”
