Sean Woodson earned a hard-fought split decision win at UFC 297 but confusion reigned supreme after Charles Jourdain celebrated the announcement in the cage.
It was a bizarre moment after Bruce Buffer confirmed the final 29-28 scorecard went to Woodson but thanks to a raucous reaction from the Toronto crowd, his voice was drowned out as he announced the winner. So Jourdain held his hands up high and Woodson started to walk away dejected until UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier informed the featherweights who actually won the fight.
Even Woodson admitted confusion because he heard the call for a split decision so he knew that the fight could somehow go for his opponent despite controlling the majority of the three-round affair.
of course Jerrin Valel messed something up again #UFC297 pic.twitter.com/afuzYTPBdA
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) January 21, 2024
Once order was restored, Woodson was confirmed as the winner with two 29-28 scorecards in his favor with the third official going 29-28 for Jourdain.
It was a largely uneventful affair with Jourdain struggling to get inside and do any damage to the taller, longer fighter in Woodson. Living up to his nickname as “The Sniper,” Woodson kept his distance and just kept firing away at the outside.
Jourdain had to be wary not to get too aggressive and that muted his offense for the majority of the 15-minute fight. Woodson didn’t mount a ton of damage either but he still landed the more effective shots round over round.
In the end, Woodson got the nod — as long as it took to figure that out — and he moves to 4-0-1 in his past five fights while Jourdain falls to 2-3 in his last five performances in the UFC.