6 biggest takeaways from UFC on ESPN+ 22: ‘Jacare’s’ future, Rua vs. Craig scoring and more

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC on ESPN+ 22, which took place Saturday in Sao Paulo.

3. ‘Shogun’ Rua deserved that decision

It definitely wasn’t the most entertaining fight of his storied career, but after former UFC champ [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (26-11-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) went three rounds with Paul Craig (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC), it felt as though he deserved to get his hand raised.

The only reason “Shogun” didn’t get that is because judge Guilherme Bravo scored the first round of the light heavyweight matchup as a 10-8 for Craig. Even under the latest version of the unified rules, interpreting that round as a 10-8 is a stretch. That’s what happened, though, and it’s why Rua vs. Craig ended in a split draw.

Granted, Rua has come out on the winning end of a couple questionable decisions in Brazil, so perhaps this was a slice of karma.

[vertical-gallery id=463597]