For the second time in two months, Stoyan Koprivlenski has found himself on the wrong side of a split decision. In early October, 'The Sniper' came up short against the GLORY Lightweight champion Tyjani Beztati. Yesterday, he came up short against Kaito Ono, Japan's best fighter at 70 kilograms.
Although he felt that the decision could've gone either way in his GLORY Lightweight title bout, he was at peace with the scorecards, as he felt that he hadn't done enough work to dethrone the divisional kingpin. This time however, he is certain that the judges made a mistake.
"To be honest, I thought I was winning. I feel robbed, I think I won the fight. I think I landed more punches, kicks and knees. I think I did more damage on his face and body. I think if he's in GLORY, he'll be in the top ten for sure, of 70 kilograms. But top 5 it will be hard for him. The tempo is different and I don't think he can handle it and probably the judges won't be Japanese".
He wasn't the only person to think so, as a number of kickboxing fans voiced a similar opinion online. When asked about this during the post-fight press conference, Koprivlenski once again voiced his displeasure with the decision and once again claimed Kaito the beneficiary of a hometown decision: "I'm happy that people think I won that fight, on the internet. I think it's probably because we are in Japan, I think it's a little bit the judges's fault".
Despite feeling wronged by the ringside officials however, Koprivlenski stated his desire to return to Japan and once again fight under the RISE promotional banner.
"Still, I enjoyed the fight and I enjoyed the time here in Japan. 100%, I want to fight again [in Japan]. If it's possible, I can also fight for the belt in RISE."
