Dana White sounds off on the “insane” judge who scored the UFC 302 co-main event in favor of Paulo Costa

UFC CEO Dana White believes judge Dave Tirelli has no business judging UFC fights.

Tirelli was at the center of controversy for his judging during the UFC 302 card this past Saturday. Two fights put Tirelli under the microscope. First, there was his scorecard for the preliminary bout between Andre Lima and Mitch Raposo. While judges Adrian Castro and Eric Colon both saw the fight 30-27 in favor of Lima, Tirelli somehow scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Raposo.

Dave would strike again in the co-main event. After five rounds of action, it was quite clear that Sean Strickland got the better of Paulo Costa. Judge Sal D’Amato only gave Costa one round, while Chris Lee saw a sweep in favor of Strickland. How did Tirelli score it? 49-46 in favor of Costa.

Dana was just as baffled as the fans and pundits who watched the fight.

RELATED: PROS REACT AFTER SEAN STRICKLAND DEFEATS PAULO COSTA AT UFC 302: “WTF DID I JUST HEAR?”

Dana White Unloads on Judge Dave Tirelli Following UFC 302

Dana White spoke to media members during the UFC 302 post-fight presser and he laid into Dave Tirelli for his abysmal score total for the co-main event.

Dana White on the judge who scored it for Paulo Costa: That guy shouldn't be judging big fights.#UFC302 pic.twitter.com/dirZhKmqJ2

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) June 2, 2024

“It wasn’t weird, it was f****** nuts,” White said. “Insane, that guy should never [judge] a big fight again. They should kick him back down to the minor leagues and let him work on his judging. It’s unbelievable. How anybody who isn’t an absolute f****** lunatic could call that fight a split decision, I don’t even know what to say about that. It’s insane. That guy shouldn’t be judging big fights.”

Judging has long been a problem in combat sports. There have been a slew of controversial decisions, but when a scorecard is this painfully wrong it puts athletic commissions on the hot seat. Whether or not Tirelli is sent down to the regional circuit remains to be seen.