Ross Pearson: The Whole World Knows I Beat Diego Sanchez, I Want A Rematch On Neutral Ground

UFC Fight Night 42 lightweight competitor Ross Pearson doesn’t have too much to be happy about after his performance against Diego Sanchez on Saturday, but he could well say that was the fault of the two judges that scored the bout for ‘The Nightmare’. ‘The Real Deal’ looked in charge of the action throughout, and the raw deal he got on the scorecards has been a hot topic since the weekend.

Pearson stopped by to talk with MMAFighting.com today, to discuss the outrageous decision handed out in New Mexico on Saturday night:

“My body feels good, I feel like I won the fight. I got robbed, someone stole my paycheck. I watched the fight back today, and that was textbook how to beat Diego Sanchez. I mean, Sanchez is a warrior, he always comes to fight, but that was why it was important to outclass him in his hometown, convincingly. I ain’t got a mark on my face, he didn’t get off because he was getting hit. I landed the cleaner shots and beat him everywhere. I won all three.”

At this stage, I think it’s fair to say that there is no doubt in anyone’s mind as to who won this fight. Although two of the three judges were blind to what was in front of them, I’ve re-watched the fight ten times and there is just no way that ‘The Nightmare’ won that fight. Pearson’s frustration was obvious as he continued:

“You know, a few power shots were a little out of range. I was a little too comfortable fighting on the back foot, but that was because my counter shots were landing so well. When Bruce Buffer announced 30-27 Pearson, I shook my head because it was going to be a split decision. I just knew straight away, my heart sunk. Someone took it away from me, as if it’s nothing to them. This is my career, my life. The judging criteria needs to change, the 10-9 system was designed for boxing matches.”

It’s hard not to feel for Pearson in these circumstances, but fighting a hometown favourite does come with it’s setbacks. Whether outrageous decisions like Fight Night 42 gave us are part of that, I don’t know. The question was posed to ‘The Real Deal’ of whether he thought about ‘being screwed’ because he was fighting Sanchez in his home state and town of Albuquerque, New Mexico:

“Absolutely, 100%, but the higher the risk-the higher the reward. If the judges scored the fight unanimously, and I beat him on his home soil, I probably would’ve got ‘performance of the night’. I’ve not heard anything (about an unofficial bonus), but I filed an official complaint to the NMAC. The commissioner said that they would investigate the situation. I don’t expect anything to come of it, but the whole world knew I won that fight. I lose leverage on my next contract because of that decision. I’d like a rematch with Sanchez on neutral territory.”

Props to Pearson for being so grown-up about the situation, as it must be quite frustrating considering the circumstances. I do hope that the commission overturns the decision, as it is clearly incorrect, but at the least I think ‘The Real Deal’ deserves some answers.