Dana White’s plan for AI judging gains huge support from Henry Cejudo after UFC 321 controversy explodes

Dana White’s idea of bringing Artificial Intelligence into UFC judging is suddenly gaining strong support after the controversial decisions at UFC 321. The event took place on October 25, 2025, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, where Alexander Volkov defeated Jailton Almeida through a split decision.

While Volkov got the win, fans and fighters questioned how the judges scored Almeida’s dominant ground control compared to Volkov’s striking. Many felt the result exposed deep flaws in MMA scoring and that’s when Dana White renewed his push for AI-based judging.

Henry Cejudo supports Dana White’s push for AI judging after UFC 321 controversy

Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo strongly supported Dana White’s plan while speaking on the Pound 4 Pound podcast alongside Kamaru Usman. Cejudo said, “This is what we do need. This is something I agree with Dana White on. We need AI judging, bro. Straight up.”He explained that modern technology could bring consistency and accuracy to MMA decisions, much like other professional sports already do.

Cejudo pointed to the controversial scoring at UFC 321 as proof that AI could help remove human bias. He suggested that smaller regional MMA promotions should first test AI judging to ensure the system works smoothly before the UFC fully adopts it.

He added, “AI judging would really make the biggest difference. With technology nowadays, it’ll be able to get down to the numbers more accurately.” The Olympic gold medalist believes that once AI systems are fine-tuned, they could help fighters and fans trust the outcomes again.However, Kamaru Usman disagreed. He argued that computers can’t sense a fighter’s physical condition the way humans can. “Unless you put an impact chip or something on a fighter to measure the damage, AI won’t understand what a rocked fighter looks like,” Usman said, highlighting the emotional and human aspect that technology might miss.Also Read: Dana White Breaks Silence On Tom Aspinall Vs Ciryl Gane No Contest After Eye Poke At UFC 321

Michael Bisping also supports AI for rankings and judging

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping has been backing Dana White’s AI push for months. He believes that AI should not only help with judging but also improve fighter rankings, which are often criticized for inconsistency. “Having an AI ranking system will remove all bias. It’s as simple as that,” Bisping said earlier this year. The call for AI isn’t new, a similar AI-based scoring system was tested during Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia, and interestingly, the AI scores matched the human judges’ results.After UFC 321’s judging controversies, the momentum behind Dana White’s idea is stronger than ever. With legends like Henry Cejudo and Michael Bisping supporting the move, the future of AI in MMA may be closer than fans think.