Ending in Main Event Raises Fans’ Suspicions

By JOSHUA ROBINSON

More than 8,000 fans headed to Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday to witness a milestone for mixed martial arts: a series of fights shown on live network television in prime time.

What they got was a controversial stoppage by the referee Dan Miragliotta in the main event, a decision that handed the wildly popular Kimbo Slice a victory in a fight he was losing.

Boos filled the arena. At the time, 38 seconds into the third of three scheduled rounds, two of the three judges’ scorecards had Slice down on points to James Thompson. The third judge split the first two rounds. Almost immediately, the sport’s fans made their opinions and suspicions heard on the Internet.

MORE....