Victory evades Josh Culibao after controversial split draw in UFC Fight Island 4

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

Josh Culibao’s flawless striking wasn’t enough to eke out a win against Canadian sensation Charles Jourdain after the judges scored a split draw decision.

The Filipino-Australian UFC fighter was stunned and shocked after the decision despite him dropping the Canadian in the first round that caused severe bleeding to come out the latter’s nose.

One scorecard had it 29-28 for Culibao, the other 30-27 for Jourdain, and the last with a 28-28 draw to conclude the split.

Looking to bounce back after his first MMA loss, Culibao came in hot and was the aggressor in the opening round.

Culibao’s activity in the opening round enabled him to knock down Jourdain only for the latter to be saved by the bell.

In the next round, Jourdain fought at a smarter pace and picked his spots that started to disrupt Culibao’s aggressive approach.

The final round was a slugfest with both fighters aiming to clinch the final touches and score more points.

Jourdain was close in handing Culibao a ground submission but the resilient Filipino was able to escape and avoided a guillotine choke.