‘Horrible’…UFC Vegas 109 kicks off with head-scratching split decision that leaves fans perplexed by scorecards

Eric McConico earns first UFC win in controversial split decision to kick off UFC Vegas 109

Brundage and McConico had an eventful bout to start the UFC Vegas 109 prelims. It was a back-and-forth battle over three rounds, with both fighters gassing out in the final minutes.

Brundage had success early with good clinch work and timely striking. But McConico, who was knocked out in brutal fashion in his UFC debut, had some big moments on the feet.

As the fight went on, McConico had the bigger moments on the feet, repeatedly stunning Brundage with beautifully-timed right hands and high kicks. But many believed McConico’s late rally wouldn’t be enough to get the nod on the judges’ scorecards after Brundage out-struck and out-worked McConico over the first two rounds statistically.

Two of the judges saw things differently, and McConico walked away with his first UFC win by split decision. The scorecards were all over the place, as you can see below.

Brundage looked visibly stunned by the result after arguably having the better moments in the first two rounds of the fight. McConico arguably won Round 3 with his pace and pressure on the feet.

UFC fans go ballistic after bizarre scorecards lead to controversial UFC Vegas 109 kickoff result

After watching McConico vs. Brundage, fans didn’t hold back on the questionable scorecards as they flooded social media feeds.

“Horrible. That was clear for Brundage,” one fan wrote on X.

“This is absolute garbage,” another said.

“Ridiculous decision.”

“30-27 is a disgrace. Pre-written scorecard.”

“How did McConico win Round 2 am I watching a different fight?”

“Wow that’s horrific.”

“What a joke of a card.”

“Robbery lmfao.”

“Tony Weeks is the only judge who shouldn’t be thrown off a bridge.”

“2 judges giving the most decisive round to the wrong fighter needs to be studied.”

“Gotta fade every wrestler tonight if that’s how takedowns are going to be judged.”

Brundage is now winless over his last two fights, following a majority decision loss to Mansur Abdul-Malik at UFC Atlanta that was later overturned to a draw. His last win came via first-round knockout against Julian Marquez in March.

McConico earned his first UFC win to get back on track following a loss at UFC Seattle in his debut.