Ross Pearson files appeal, commission confirms no scorecard errors
Following one of the most controversial and debated fight outcomes in UFC history, Ross Pearson filed an appeal with the New Mexico Athletic Commission although the chances of his loss to Diego Sanchez being overturned are slim to none.
New Mexico Athletic Commission representative Richard Espinosa confirmed with FOX Sports on Monday that Pearson and his team did in fact file an appeal with the commission after the fights ended on Saturday.
According to the by-laws for the commission, however, the only way a fight can be overturned comes from one of three possibilities -- collusion in part to affect the outcome of the fight, a scoring error or a clear violation of the rules and regulations (such as a drug test result coming back positive).
In this case, the only piece that could be relevant is a scoring error if the judges' scorecards were somehow tallied incorrectly or notated wrong on the night of the fights.
Unfortunately for Pearson, Espinosa confirmed that the scorecards have been examined and the scores read on Saturday night reflect those given by the judges in the arena sitting cage side.
It's not unheard of for a scoring error to happen and it has gone down in New Mexico before as a matter of fact. In 2011 in a middleweight fight between future UFC fighter Chris Camozzi and Joey Villasenor, the bout was declared a draw after the scorecards were read with the decision.
Following a thorough examination of the cards, however, it was discovered that one judge had the fight scored 29-29 but in reality once the numbers were re-added the fight should have actually gone to Camozzi. The judge in question, Mark Sanchez, gave both rounds two and three to Camozzi but when the final tally was made his scorecard read 29-29, which resulted in the draw.
The commission ultimately overturned the decision and gave Camozzi the win.
According to Espinosa, there were no errors on the scorecards, which means Pearson's appeal will likely fall by the wayside and he just becomes a victim of a really egregious decision being returned by the judges on Saturday night.
