Dhiego Lima to appeal split decision win over Luke Jumeau at UFC 243, seeking unanimous decision

Dhiego Lima earned a split decision win over Luke Jumeau at UFC 243, but the veteran fighter and his manager are actually planning to file an appeal.

In this particular case, Lima’s manager Alex Davis is seeking a unanimous decision victory rather than the split decision that was returned by the judges this past Saturday night.

While Lima appeared to be the clear-cut victor after three rounds, judge Garth Harriman actually scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Jumeau. Harriman has recently judged three UFC events between Australia and China.

Davis was obviously happy that Lima got the win he deserved but ultimately he still feels that the judges scoring the fight should be held accountable even if the result went the right way.

“Actually, we are going to appeal. We are going to ask that the result be changed from split to unanimous on a question of principle,” Davis wrote in a social media message to MMA Fighting on Sunday.

“The judge that gave the fight to Jumeau shouldn’t be judging. Who are these people? How do they get these positions? They are effecting these hard working athletes lives and careers! It keeps on happening!”

The appeal will go through the Victoria Sport and Recreation Board, who oversaw the event in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday night.

While the chances that the split decision will be overturned to a unanimous call seem unlikely, Lima’s manager believes that attention should be paid when a judge makes the wrong call even if the right fighter got the win.