Mairon Santos Edges Francis Marshall in Disputed UFC 313
Mairon Santos earned a split-decision victory over Francis Marshall in a competitive featherweight bout at UFC 313 on March 8, 2025, in Las Vegas. Two judges scored the contest 29-28 for Santos, while the third gave Marshall all three rounds, 30-27. The divided verdict became one of the event’s most debated results.
A close fight with sharply different scorecards
Santos, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 32, entered the matchup looking to build on his successful UFC debut. Marshall brought more Octagon experience and aimed to use his wrestling and pressure to disrupt the Brazilian’s striking. Their three-round contest featured momentum shifts and enough close exchanges to leave the judges with differing views of how the rounds should be scored.
The official scorecards show one judge awarding Marshall every round, while the other two scored the fight for Santos by a single round. That split is central to the result: the UFC’s official record lists Santos as the winner, but the 30-27 card for Marshall made the decision controversial among viewers. Rather than suggesting a unanimous or dominant win, the scorecards reflect a bout that judges interpreted differently.
Santos gets the official win
When the scores were announced, Santos moved forward with a second UFC victory, while Marshall suffered a setback in his effort to climb the featherweight division. The result gave the former TUF champion a win over an established UFC opponent, though the narrow split decision left room for debate about the scoring. UFC’s post-event recap described the fight as competitive and entertaining from start to finish.
Marshall had reason to be frustrated with the 29-28 cards that favored Santos, especially after one official scorecard went 30-27 in his favor. But the official outcome is clear: Santos won by split decision. The contrasting cards underline how close rounds can produce sharply different assessments even when judges watch the same exchanges from Octagon-side positions.
Part of a busy UFC 313 prelim card
UFC 313 was headlined by Magomed Ankalaev’s light heavyweight title win over Alex Pereira at T-Mobile Arena. Santos and Marshall appeared on the prelims, with their decision following a string of finishes on the card. The UFC’s official scorecards list the exact 27-30, 29-28, 29-28 tally; the promotion’s prelim recap also notes the crowd reaction and the competitive nature of the contest.
Where their careers went next
Santos followed the UFC 313 decision with a first-round knockout of Muhammad Naimov at UFC 323 in December 2025, according to his UFC profile. Marshall rebounded from the loss with a first-round submission win over Erik Silva in February 2026 and a unanimous-decision win over Lucas Brennan in April; Marshall’s UFC profile lists both results.
Santos spoke in the Octagon after the bout about the performance and his place in the division. The interview is included below.
