Modestas Bukauskas acknowledges that broadcast commentators have a role to play, but he strongly disagrees with Daniel Cormier`s assessment of his recent split-decision victory at UFC 315. Bukauskas earned a hard-fought win against Ion Cutelaba in Montreal and stands by the legitimacy of the result. While he sees areas for future improvement, he finds the criticism, particularly Cormier`s calling the close fight “trash,” to be unfounded.
“That’s trash,” Cormier said during the broadcast after the scorecards for the fight were revealed. “That’s actually a very bad decision. A 30-27 for Bukauskas?”
Bukauskas doesn`t begrudge Cormier for having an opinion, but he believes commentators significantly sway fan perception, especially online. He observed this effect post-fight. While respecting the commentators as Hall of Famers and legends of the sport, he couldn`t understand the strong bias against his win. He acknowledges that opinions vary, and frustrations might stem from lost bets on the close fight. Ultimately, he concludes that pleasing everyone is impossible in combat sports; his focus remains solely on securing victories, as “what goes down on paper is a win.”
To analyze his performance, Bukauskas watched the fight multiple times, both with and without the UFC commentary. His coaches noted that viewing the fight without commentary made the close decision appear slightly more in his favor from a neutral perspective. While admitting there were critical junctures where the fight could have gone the other way, Bukauskas firmly disputes the idea that Cutelaba was robbed. He found it puzzling that commentators seemed to lean towards a 30-27 scorecard for Cutelaba, a perspective he can`t understand. He hopes his future performances will be decisive enough to eliminate any ambiguity or debate.
Bukauskas acknowledges the mixed reactions to the fight, noting that even negative feedback generates attention, which is beneficial for a fighter. He doesn`t shy away from controversy and maintains his belief in the result, which hasn`t changed since leaving the octagon. He even posted on Instagram playfully asking “biggest robbery?” from a neutral standpoint, stating his belief that he landed the more effective strikes. This post generated significant engagement, which he welcomed.
Securing his third consecutive win, Bukauskas is now targeting a spot in the light heavyweight top 15. He has a specific opponent in mind: Zhang Mingyang. Bukauskas highlighted Mingyang`s recent “absolutely amazing performance” against Anthony Smith and described him as a “banger” and “great guy.” He sees this matchup as a logical step for both fighters – a chance for Bukauskas to break into the top 15 and for Mingyang to solidify his position. With both fighters recently winning, Bukauskas believes the timing is perfect.
