UFC 271 judge who infamously had Roxanne Modafferi beating Casey O’Neil is an actual Rocket Scientist

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to judge a UFC fight and that’s probably a good thing.

Roxanne Modafferi competed for the final time as a professional MMA fighter at UFC 271. She went toe-to-toe with undefeated prospect Casey O’Neil. The bout went the distance and while Modafferi didn’t make things easy for her opponent, the fight looked to be in O’Neil’s favor.

Two of the three judges, Ivan Guzman and Kerry Hatley, scored the fight for Casey O’Neil. Rob Alexander was the lone judge who gave the bout to Modafferi.

Of the 19 MMA media members accounted for on MMADecisions.com, none of them gave Modaferri a single round.

Rob’s 29-28 score in favor of Modafferi was widely panned online and the only saving grace is that he was overruled by the other two judges. Given this egregious score total, one might be surprised to know that Rob Alexander is an actual rocket scientist (h/t Aaron Bronsteter).

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that Casey O'Neill won that fight, but in fairness, the judge that scored it for Roxanne Modafferi is an actual rocket scientist. pic.twitter.com/WvgKSwtFWZ

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) February 13, 2022

“Rob has been an aerospace engineer with the space program for 25 years, the majority of that time in support of the NASA — National Aeronautics and Space Administration. That job has taken him through roles in the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, Ariane, and Space Launch System programs. His job titles have included safety engineer, operations manager, and robotics specialist. Rob’s leadership has helped the space community transition from pure government exploration to incorporating commercial ventures as well. Rob currently works as a business development lead for Bastion Technologies, supporting from their corporate office in Houston, Texas. Rob is the co-founder of the Foundation for International Space Education, a non-profit organization that provides opportunities for students from around the world to pursue careers in the space sector.”

Color commentator and UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping put Rob Alexander on blast for his judging after Modafferi gave her farewell speech.