With so much riding on every bout, many UFC fighters simply can't handle the agony of defeat, particularly when it comes in controversial fashion.
Elizabeth Phillips could relate to these sentiments following her second straight loss in the promotion at UFC Fight Night 48 in Macau, China.
Disgusted with the judges' decision in her split-decision loss to UFC newcomer Milana Dudieva, Phillips said the following on Facebook (as transcribed by Bloody Elbow) minutes after her second straight loss in the promotion.
I got robbed so f****** bad. I hate the UFC. I was on top dominating all three round elbowing this Russian price of crap. And they said I lost split decision. Anybody says that I lost is a price of crap and will get deleted from my friends list cause I whooped her ass the whole fight. I'm done fighting for a while cause this is some corrupt s***.
Dudieva started each of the bout's three rounds strong and tagged Phillips with right hands in the early going of each stanza. Phillips, however, stayed patient in each round and used her wrestling prowess and ground-and-pound acumen to seemingly secure the win.
But the bout's three judges didn't agree, scoring it 30-27, 28-29, 29-28, in the 25-year-old Russian's favor.
After another questionable split-decision ruling in the next bout between winner Royston Wee and Yao Zhikui, UFC president Dana White requested that one of the judges, Howard Hughes, call it an early night.
White explained the situation at the UFC Fight Night 48 post-fight press conference.
“He was involved in the first fight and the second fight. I told the guys to go let him grab some beer and some popcorn and go sit down and start watching some fights, not judging them.”
But apparently White didn't ask Hughes to finish the night prematurely on account of his decision in the Phillips loss. In fact, White agreed with the ruling in that fight.
"I know a lot of people, the media included and the fans I saw on Twitter, felt that Phillips won the fight, but I thought Milana won the fight, so I disagree. But at the end of the day, who gives a s*** what I think. It’s the judges. They pick the winner, and that’s all that matters."
Phillips saw her four-fight winning streak come to a halt when she dropped a split decision to Valerie Letourneau in her promotional debut at UFC 174 in June.
Dudieva earned her third straight win, all of which have come in 2014, and improved to 11-3 as a pro.
