AJ McKee's jaw dropped, his eyes widened and you can read his lips questioning "what!?" in utter disbelief as the result was read.
Patricio "Pitbull" Freire had just been given a unanimous decision victory as the Brazilian snatched the featherweight title back at Bellator 277 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. on Friday night. Judges controversially ruled it 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 all in Pitbull's favor. DAZN News scored it 48-47 in favor of McKee.
Although Pitbull was more resolute Friday night than their first clash, which McKee finished in under two minutes, one judge scoring it 4-1 in his favor was inexplicable. The bout was a lot closer as McKee brought the offense early with Pitbull using his veteran savvy to slow the pace down behind a methodical leg-kicking attack.
Pitbull dropped McKee at the knee with a flash knockdown as a result of a counter right hand and threatened a submission finish with a tight guillotine choke during the third round. The Brazilian wrenched in the hold before McKee managed to pop his head out and attempt a rear-naked choke to end the frame.
With both fighters increasingly fatigued, McKee managed to generate two of his four takedowns in the fifth and final round, all while landing a slashing elbow in between. The round before, McKee had freed up his hands enough to pepper Pitbull with stinging shots.
Though this rematch had more tactics than fireworks, McKee arguably did enough to hold onto his title.
Instead, he loses his featherweight championship in the first defeat of his pro career amidst a controversial ruling and will certainly be irked about leaving the bout in judges' hands.
Here's how the entire Bellator 277 card went.