Not that any of the rounds were close in the Sonnen/Silva fight, but does the perceived inferior fighter win a close round in the judges eyes for not getting anhialated by a guy who is "supposed" to dominate?
Edgar vs. Penn comes to mind. Everyone thought BJ was going to walk through Edgar, and when Edgar didn't get crushed, do you think it influenced the judges scoring in giving him close rounds?
It happened with Sugar Ray Leonard IMO.I thought Sugar Ray beat Marvelous Marvin Hagler the first time I watched it.The 2nd & 3rd time I watched it.....I had Marvelous winning.
To make a long story short.....the answer is no.
Wouldn't that logic make the short answer yes as Hagler was the perceived better fighter? I have to rewatch that fight again myself.
Out of every fight that I have seen,that is the only example I could think of.So,basically,I don`t think it happens enough to say yes.
I think the answer for most people who watch MMA is yes. It's just natural to have your perception of a fight altered based on expectations of what you think is going to happen.
Fortunately MMA fans usually don't have to worry about this happening to judges as they score a fight. Most of them know so little about MMA they don't even know what they're looking at let alone having the ability to form expectations about who should win a fight before it happens.
If an underdog doesn't win when the rounds are close, it really pisses off ppl on the UG.....Brilz/NOG?!? They bitched for a whole week...