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Report: Byrd won't judge UFC 216 after Canelo-GGG controversy

Al Bello / Getty Images Sport / Getty

A much-maligned judge may be shelved for the foreseeable future.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission is expected to pull Adalaide Byrd from UFC 216 - scheduled for Oct. 7 in Las Vegas - and may sideline her for the remainder of 2017, sources told Chuck Schilken of the LA Times on Wednesday.

Byrd was the judge who gave boxer Canelo Alvarez the nod in last Saturday's superfight with Gennady Golovkin by a score of 118-110. The bout - in which Golovkin constantly walked Alvarez down and out-landed him by nearly 50 punches - was ultimately ruled a controversial split draw, with Byrd drawing the bulk of the scrutiny surrounding the unceremonious end to a tilt that otherwise lived up to its billing.

NSAC executive director Bob Bennett remained non-committal on whether Byrd would be suspended following the bout, although he did suggest she take a break from scoring fights of such magnitude.

It now appears the judge will be "benched for a couple of months" as opposed to banned outright, an official told Schilken.

Byrd - who's scored north of 100 championship bouts and title eliminators - has submitted some controversial scorecards in both boxing and MMA bouts, notably giving Melvin Guillard the nod over Jamie Varner by a 30-27 score at UFC 155 while the other two judges had the same tally going the other way.

UFC 216 will feature a pair of title fights at T-Mobile Arena, with Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee vying for an interim lightweight strap in the headliner, and Demetrious Johnson aiming for a record 11th successful title defense at Ray Borg's expense in the co-main event.

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