Pierce Confused by Split Decision, But Content to Win

Mike Pierce grinded out another win over a tough opponent at UFC on Fox 1, but he doesn’t agree with how the fight was scored.

Two judges gave him the win with 30-27 and 29-28 tallies, but one judge dissented and scored the bout 29-28 for opponent Paul Bradley.

“I was just confused,” Pierce told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show.” “I didn’t understand when Bruce Buffer read the results of the first judge. I was like, ‘Really?’ … I didn’t know what that judge was thinking. I don’t know what fight he was watching, but everybody that I’ve talked to in person, everything that I’ve read on the Internet -- yeah, your guess is as good as mine.”

Split decision or not, Pierce got the win and that’s what is most important to him. His style isn’t flashy, but it gets results. Now he’s 5-2 in the UFC and back on track after an August loss to Johny Hendricks.

“Having battles and wars is great for the fans and it looks awesome and there’s a time and a place for that, sure, but if I can get in a fight and take no damage at all and come out with a win and make it exciting, then I’m going to try to do that every time so I can have a nice, long, healthy professional career and make as much money as possible,” Pierce said. “I don’t want to get beat up, get my hand raised and then go spend like a week at the hospital healing. That just doesn’t make any sense. You’re not making money that way.”

Pierce’s style and his slow, steady rise in the welterweight division might remind fans of Jon Fitch. He actually fought Fitch early in his UFC career, dropping a competitive unanimous decision, but he doesn’t mind the comparison.

“He’s a smart fighter,” Pierce said of Fitch. “He’s consistent and he’s not one of those guys -- you get some guys that come into the UFC and they throw caution to the wind and maybe they win a few fights, but they also get the crap knocked out of them and they end up having a short career. A guy like Jon, he has a long career. He’s fought a lot of times in the UFC, been consistent. He’s making a lot of money and he’s got a good living doing it. I think a guy like that, there’s something to be said about that where you fight smart and you win and you have a nice, long healthy career in the UFC.”

Pierce also has title aspirations, though. The climb to the top for a grinder can be a long one, but he’s not going to trade his approach for a riskier one. His plan is to just keep winning.

“At the very end of the day,” Pierce said, “you’re not going to be getting a title shot if you’re a loser.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 57:33).