James Krause has spoken out about the judging of his loss via split decision to Trevin Giles at UFC 247. Krause took the bout on only a day’s notice after a late withdrawal by Antonio Arroyo.
Texas judge Joe Soliz was responsible for the controversial decision, as he was the only judge who scored the first round in Giles’ favor. That decision handed Giles the W.
On Tuesday it emerged that Soliz trained for a decade under Eric Williams of Elite MMA, Giles’ gym. He earned a black belt before leaving in 2010.
Krause took to Instagram to protest the decision. “If this isn’t the most frustrating sh*t for me in the world I don’t know what… how is this not a conflict of interest? Training at someone’s gym for 10+ years and receiving a black belt from the coach corner my opponent…This is a disgrace to our sport. Not just my fight but multiple examples of incompetence from the same judge.”
Soliz was also behind the controversial decision to score the headline bout between Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes for Jones.
Jason House, Krause’s manager, says they are disputing the result. “These athletes risk and sacrifice too much for there not to be a fair playing field. As we are currently in the appeals process, we are withholding further comment. It is our hope that the appeals process will work as designed and uphold the integrity of our sport.”
