The most renowned official in mixed martial arts has offered his perspective on the most contentious incident from Saturday night.
Despite pre-event criticism regarding several fight cancellations, UFC Perth unfolded largely without major issues, save for a single confusing moment during a welterweight bout on the main card. Veteran fighter Neil Magny, aged 38, achieved a remarkable comeback victory over Jake Matthews, continuing to defy expectations. While Magny`s late surge was undoubtedly impressive, there`s a strong argument that the opportunity for this comeback should not have arisen in the first place.
‘Big’ John McCarthy Questions Impact of Referee’s Error on Jake Matthews
In the waning moments of the first round, the referee prematurely halted the contest between Magny and Matthews, apparently under the impression that Magny had been rendered unconscious by a choke. However, upon separating the fighters, it became evident that Magny was still responsive, and the bout was allowed to continue.
`Big` John McCarthy, widely regarded as the sport`s leading authority on rules and officiating, weighed in on the incident. On a recent episode of the “Weighing In” podcast, McCarthy affirmed that he agreed with the decision to restart the fight. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the initial premature stoppage could have profoundly affected Matthews.
McCarthy explained: “The real problem with it is, when you do it, it can absolutely take someone like a Jake Matthews and it takes them from having this all of a sudden super high adrenaline and it dumps them because he feels like, ‘You just pulled me off, I just got a win, and now no I don’t have a win.’ That can be a mental breakdown and it’s really not Jake’s fault, so that’s tough.”
He further noted that Matthews had been performing well even after the controversial moment, holding a two-round lead before ultimately being submitted in the third. McCarthy expressed sympathy: “I feel bad for Jake Matthews, though. I don’t know if he lost a little bit of concentration in that third round. I don’t know what it was because he was up two rounds.”
Jake Matthews References Referee Mistake in Post-Fight Statement
Jake Matthews himself addressed the controversial sequence in a social media statement post-fight, echoing McCarthy`s sentiment that the referee`s error had impacted him. He also revealed that the local athletic commission is already investigating the incident, potentially leading to a review or overturning of the result.
UFC executive Dave Shaw, during his post-fight press conference, acknowledged that a mistake had likely occurred, reiterating that any further action would be at the discretion of the commission.
