UFC President Dana White has revealed his scorecard for the fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus du Plessis - and it's taken fans by surprise.
Chimaev defeated Du Plessis to win the Middleweight Championship at UFC 319 on Saturday night.
The Russian-Emirati fighter was awarded the victory via decision, with all three judges marking the fight as 50-44 in his favour.
It is the 31-year-old's first title in the UFC, with Du Plessis having held on to it since defeating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January 2024.
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Chimaev produced a dominant display against his South African opponent, landing a staggering 529 of his 567 strikes compared to 45 of 68 by Du Plessis.
In round three, he hit 19 significant strikes on the defending champion as he placed him in the crucifix on three occasions, but that wasn't enough to secure a KO victory.
Instead, he had to rely on the judges - though there was never any doubt that he would be crowned as the new Middleweight Champion.
Speaking at the post-UFC 319 press conference, White was asked about the judges' scorecards and the six-point difference between the two fighters.
Each scorecard had awarded four 10-9 rounds to Chimaev, with the other being 10-8.
But White shockingly revealed that he had given four 10-8 rounds to the new champion instead which, had it been matched by the judges, would have been one of the biggest victories in UFC history.
"I had every round a 10-8 maybe, except for the last round," he told reporters.
"To be in the position that he was in, and the crucifix, and just getting dominated on the ground and punched in the face and elbowed, it's a very frustrating place to be," he said of Du Plessis.
"It's no fun for anybody. His face was pretty busted up. The knees that he was taking to the body, to the legs, to the hips. It's gonna be a long ride home to South Africa."
Topics: Dana White, UFC, MMA
Ryan Smart