You want a good sign that your dissenting scorecard was on the wrong side of a split decision? Have Bruce Buffer, a man with a flair for the dramatic, breeze through the cards turned in by you and your peers.
Evan Dunham controlled stablemate Tyson Griffin in each of the three rounds last night. Yet, Dunham was one misjudged round away from losing a split decision. While the result ultimately went to the deserving fighter, it's important to shed results-oriented thinking and give a critical look at any sub-optimal decision from the judges at ringside.
FightMetric released their report for Griffin/Dunham last night, and here's how the fight breaks down by Effectiveness Scores and the extrapolated ten-point must system:
| Griffin | Dunham | TPM | |
| Round 1 | 63 | 114 | 10-9 D |
| Round 2 | 16 | 80 | 10-9 D |
| Round 3 | 30 | 61 | 10-9 D |
| Total | 110 | 254 | 30-27 D |
Griffin kept the fight close in the striking department. He outlanded Dunham 62-52 over the duration of the fight, though Dunham had the edge in effective strikes 25-10.
Dunham's propensity for taking the back became the story of the bout, however, as he moved to that position in every round of the bout. Griffin's complete ineffectiveness grappling was the biggest surprise to me, with Dunham completing three takedowns in the first two rounds.
FightMetric credited both fighters with submission attempts in the second round, though neither attempt threatened its target. Dunham worked for a rear naked choke after taking the back and came closest to finishing when he locked it in with a Gable grip on a standing Griffin late in the round. His arm was not underneath Griffin's chin, however, and the choke worked more like a crank, eventually broken up when Griffin attempted to spike Dunham's head on the mat.
Griffin latched on a guillotine early in the round as Dunham shot in with a double leg. Griffin's guillotine had the same problem as Dunham's later rear naked attempt, as he never really had his arms underneath the chin of Dunham. Dunham slipped out moments later and started work from half-guard.
How did one judge see two rounds for Tyson Griffin? I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect Griffin's volume fooled the judge in question. It's really hard to make a case for Griffin in any of the three rounds unless you completely discount the positional domination Dunham displayed throughout the fight.
Get the latest gear
