Irishman Paul Hughes believes he should have gotten the victory in his Bellator lightweight title bout against Usman Nurmagomedov in Dubai on Saturday night.
The champion then admitted he had “underestimated” Hughes but retained his belt and extended his record to 19-0 after the judges scored the bout 47-47, 48-46 and 48-46 in his favour.
But the 27-year-old competitor said the decision was “absolutely ridiculous.”
“As always, I will have to watch it again to get a good rating and a clear rating, but as we know, we all thought I won this award,” he said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
“I thought the judges' scorecards were pretty ridiculous, but like I said I'll watch it with a clear mind.
“I'm just judging the energy of the arena and everyone surrounding the cage. I thought it was mine.”
