Agazarm unhappy with commission, considering appeal of outcome at Bellator 243.
AJ Agazarm had some interesting things to say following his decision loss to rival Cris Lencioni at Bellator 243. Mainly, that a conflict of internet may have been at play with one of the judges scoring his fight.
In an extremely strange situation, Agazarm (3-2) sat down to do media availability post-fight, despite not being scheduled.
“I don’t want to talk to the media, I have to talk to the media,” Agazarm said to explain his unscheduled appearance backstage. A member of Bellator’s PR team corrected that in fact, he did not need to talk to the press. Agazarm continued regardless. “The first thing I noticed is that there was a judge that should not have been there. Douglas Crosby. He’s had relationships with me, he’s had relationships with my opponent. He’s definitely not impartial.”
Crosby’s judging has not been without criticism over the years. A Hollywood stuntman, his work in MMA has been criticized before, though perhaps not in this particular fashion.
Agazarm went on to explain that the fight should be immediately reviewed and the result overturned, changed to a draw. He also indicated that he was not a believer in a controversial headbutt that occurred during the fight. Tape showed that Agazarm appeared to intentionally land a head strike on Lencioni during the bout. However, Agazarm would claim that his opponent “lifted me up” to cause the foul.
“This fight should be immediately pulled and if not turned into a loss for [Lencioni], turned into a draw, and ran back,” Agazarm continued. “What was [Crosby] doing judging that fight?”
When asked to describe the history that he had with Crosby, Agazarm was honest, noting that it wasn’t necessarily negative.
“He’s [Douglas Crosby] helped on a number of matches in jiu jitsu, he even helped me with my contract with Bellator,” Agazarm stated. “By no means whatsoever should he be there, it’s completely uncalled for. Puts me in a bad position, puts my opponent in a bad position. And to me, it’s unethical.”
Agazarm did not elaborate on the relationship Crosby has with Lencioni, other than to add that the judge and one of Lencioni’s coaches also have ties. Asked if he planned to appeal the decision, the Florida native said he wasn’t sure what the process entailed.
Agazarm refused to shake hands with Lencioni post fight and did not shy away from continuing to show dislike for his opponent after the fact. Lencioni was vocal in the cage, heavy with trash talk, just as he was ahead of the fight.
“I’m appalled by his lack of professionalism, his lack of respect for his opponent,” Agazarm said. “He talks about wanting to work with kids, if that’s how you want to be a leader to kids, to act that way— it’s disgusting.”
Watch the full Bellator 243 post-fight press conference with AJ Agazarm above.
