By TXMMA Staff // Cover Photo – Esther Lin, MMAFighting
Dallas-based fighter loses controversial decision to hometown fighter Cathal Pendred at UFC FN 59
DALLAS, TX – After a weekend of reflection following UFC Fight Night 59, the score still don’t add up for Sean Spencer. Or rather they do add up to what amounts as a Boston Massacre for the Dallas-based fighter as the literal scorecards went the other way for his opponent, Cathal Pendred.
Sean Spencer vs. Cathal Pendred was the featured preliminary bout of UFC Fight Night 59, a card featuring another Irish fighter, Conor McGregor, in the main event of the evening.
With no less than 4 fighters on the card with Irish heritage and an Irish-American population in Boston hovering a little over 20% it’s no secret the intent of the card was to push the popular main event fighter McGregor as he heads straight on a money-fight collision course with featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo.
It was however a large surprise that amidst all the hype, McGregor’s teammate Cathal Pendred got pushed along with him.
“I had no doubt in my mind that I controlled the fight,” said Pendred about the very controversial judges’ decision.
That was an opinion not shared by pundits and fans alike.
Even on air UFC President Dana White and longtime commentator Joe Rogan could not defend the judges’ scorecards, which included 2 judges scoring all three rounds the Irishman’s way.
“That was a bad one,” said White.
Early on in the fight it was Spencer winning the exchanges, even dropping Pendred to the mat with a big right hard. That continued throughout the course of the fight with Spencer in control of the action.
Pendred’s claim of control was dubious in the grappling department as well, with a kimura attempt in the second (not a close one) counted as his lone submission attempt.
It was more of the same in the third with Spencer seemingly in control of the action.
All in all it was an inexplicably judged fight in Boston for the fighter out of Dallas. A result summed up best by Coach Sayif Saud immediately following the fight:
“Boston massacre. Hard work was not rewarded tonight.”
Watch the fight for yourself then compare the action with the scorecard below.
