If I'm being honest people like me were expecting Umar to be a nightmare matchup for Merab, so watching Merab melt away Umar's cardio was shocking enough to where we probably rated it more in favor of Merab because he exceeded expectations. It's hard to shake your bias that you have before the fight. I was so confident in Umar, so when he didn't perform like expected, it was easier to lean toward Merab. The takedowns especially, I know you're not supposed to score them, but when you see Dagastani's get taken down like that, even with 0 punches it feels wrong to say it counts for nothing.
Merab has blown everyone out of the water so far, Umar was definitely closest to the win. Outside of Umar I have no idea who could beat Merab besides him getting old. I think this fight could be scored for Umar, but there will never be a universal consensus. Stats say Umar outstruck Merab in the 5th as well. Merab did look fresher so that could also be the bias I made live. This is one of those close fights and not be a judge, I'd rather step out and listen to both sides.
