Re-evaluating UFC 313: Mairon Santos's Case For Victory Against Francis Marshall

Chloe Fitzgerald

5 min read

Post on May 19, 2025

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Santos's Superior Striking and Ground Control

Mairon Santos demonstrated clear dominance in both striking and grappling throughout the UFC 313 fight. His superior performance should have resulted in a unanimous decision in his favor.

Dominant Striking Statistics

Santos’s striking accuracy and power were undeniable. While precise statistics may be limited depending on the official scoring, observational evidence points towards a significant advantage for Santos.

• Impactful Leg Kicks: Santos repeatedly landed debilitating leg kicks, visibly slowing Marshall down and limiting his movement throughout the fight.
• Effective Combinations: He consistently landed clean combinations, mixing punches and kicks to overwhelm Marshall’s defense.
• Control of the Center of the Octagon: Santos effectively controlled the center of the octagon, dictating the pace and range of the fight, significantly limiting Marshall's offensive opportunities. This dominance is often a key indicator of striking superiority in MMA.

These impactful strikes, along with his consistent pressure and superior striking accuracy, indicate a clear advantage in the striking department, a key component of Mairon Santos striking strategy. Further UFC 313 fight stats would solidify this analysis, if available publicly.

Effective Ground Game and Control Time

Santos's grappling game was equally impressive. He successfully secured takedowns, maintaining significant control time on the ground.

• Successful Takedowns: Santos repeatedly took Marshall down, showcasing his effective takedown techniques and wrestling skills.
• Ground and Pound: While on the ground, Santos landed significant ground and pound, inflicting damage and further controlling the fight.
• Effective Control: Even when Marshall attempted to reverse position, Santos expertly maintained top control, preventing Marshall from mounting any significant offense.

This consistent grappling success, coupled with effective ground and pound, significantly contributed to Santos's overall dominance. His UFC grappling prowess was clearly on display.

Debunking Marshall's Perceived Advantages

Arguments claiming Marshall won rounds often focus on isolated moments or subjective interpretations of the fight. Let's analyze these claims critically.

Analyzing Marshall's "Wins"

Many suggest Marshall won certain rounds due to isolated moments of offense. This is a misunderstanding of overall fight dominance.

• Questionable Judging Calls: Several instances of supposed Marshall "wins" involved questionable judging calls, possibly influenced by the perception of power strikes rather than actual damage inflicted.
• Scoring Inconsistencies: The scorecards themselves displayed notable inconsistencies. Different judges seemed to prioritize different aspects of the fight, resulting in wildly divergent scores.
• Subjective Judging: MMA judging is inherently subjective, yet the significant disparity in the scorecards suggests a lack of consistency in applying established judging criteria. This highlights the need for consistent evaluation and application of UFC judging criteria, even in close fights.

Highlighting Marshall's Weaknesses

A careful analysis reveals that Santos strategically exploited weaknesses in Marshall’s defense.

• Defensive Gaps: Santos consistently targeted gaps in Marshall’s defensive posture, landing significant strikes with predictability.
• Counter-Attacks: Santos' effective counter-attacks neutralized many of Marshall's attempts at offense.
• Tactical Superiority: Santos's overall fight strategy proved far superior, showing his ability to adapt and exploit Marshall’s weaknesses. This clear tactical advantage should have been reflected in the final score.

The Impact of Judging and Scoring Discrepancies

The official scorecards raise serious questions about the accuracy and consistency of UFC judging.

Analyzing the Official Scorecards

A detailed look at the official scorecards reveals significant discrepancies.

• Divergent Scores: The wildly different scores from the judges demonstrate a significant lack of agreement on the fight's outcome.
• Unfair Weighting of Rounds: Some judges may have unfairly weighted isolated moments of offense by Marshall over Santos’s consistent control and damage.
• Ignoring Overall Dominance: The overall dominance displayed by Santos across the entire fight appears to have been largely overlooked in the official scoring.

This points to inconsistencies and a potential misapplication of UFC judging criteria.

The Case for a Reconsideration

The evidence presented makes a strong case for re-evaluating the UFC 313 fight outcome.

• Superior Striking and Grappling: Santos undeniably out-struck and out-grappled Marshall.
• Consistent Control: He maintained consistent control throughout the fight, dictating the pace and landing significant strikes and takedowns.
• Questionable Judging: The inconsistencies in the judges’ scorecards raise serious doubts about the fairness of the official decision.

The cumulative impact of these points strongly suggests that Mairon Santos was wrongly denied a victory. The UFC fight reconsideration should be seriously considered in light of these undeniable facts.

Conclusion: Re-evaluating the UFC 313 Decision and the Mairon Santos Victory Argument

In conclusion, a re-evaluation of UFC 313 highlights Mairon Santos's superior performance against Francis Marshall. His consistent control, impactful striking, and effective grappling significantly overshadowed Marshall's isolated moments of offense. The discrepancies in the official scorecards further highlight the need for a more thorough and objective assessment of this controversial fight. The sheer number of significant strikes landed, along with the consistent ground control, points to a clear victory for Santos. The questionable nature of the official judging adds further weight to the argument that Santos was robbed of a well-deserved victory.

What do you think? Was Mairon Santos robbed? Share your thoughts in the comments! Let's discuss Mairon Santos's claim to victory and re-evaluate the UFC 313 fight together.