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Big John McCarthy is a legendary MMA referee who coined the term “mixed martial arts” and helped write many of the sport’s early rules. Officiating his first card back at UFC 2 in 1994, Big John is widely regarded as a supreme authority on rules and referee conduct.
Although he has retired from refereeing bouts, Big John remains involved in the sport by teaching COMMAND courses, a hybrid referee and judging class. COMMAND is an internationally recognized school for MMA referees and judges.
A controversial moment involving a referee occurred on Saturday during UFC Fight Night: Ulberg vs. Reyes, in the fight between Neil Magny and Jake Matthews. Matthews had Magny locked in a submission with only seconds left in the first round when referee Jim Perdios stepped in and stopped the fight, believing Magny had gone unconscious. However, Magny was still conscious and immediately protested the stoppage.
The UFC commentary team reacted to the unfortunate turn of events. Moments later, confusion ensued when the referee informed the fighters that the round had actually ended and the fight would continue. This decision opened the door for a third-round submission comeback victory by the UFC veteran Neil Magny.
Upon reviewing the slow-motion replay, it was clear that there was still time left on the clock when the referee prematurely intervened.
In times of confusing or controversial referee decisions, the MMA community often turns to Big John McCarthy. He addressed the issue during the latest episode of his Weighing In podcast.
Big John McCarthy Breaks Down Controversial UFC Stoppage
“When Neil’s arm went out and he kind of fucking dropped it, you see the referee react. We call it, look at the macro. Don’t look at the micro, that means don’t stare at his eyes, look at the entire body, because his will tell you. What’s his legs doing? That’s a big part of it, what are his arms doing, but you can’t just look and say, I’m going to stop something,” Big John explained while breaking down the sequence.
He added further insight into the timing of the stoppage: “I also don’t know where the referee was in his count because the clacker had gone off with the ten-second call. Everyone thinks it’s the bell that stops the round. The bell notifies the referee to stop because many times the fighters don’t hear the bell.”
Reflecting on the confusion and the aftermath, Big John elaborated, “When he made the stop, you can see that Neil Magny was still there, and he goes no, no. It’s the end of the round! Honestly, it was the right thing, but the problem is when you do it, it can take somebody like Jake Matthews from having an adrenaline super high then dumps them. It can be a mental breakdown that’s not Jake’s fault.”
In the end, the decision to resume the fight appeared to be the correct call. It paved the way for a dramatic comeback submission victory by UFC veteran Neil Magny. Had the bout been stopped in the first round, fans would have been deprived of a memorable moment that now adds to Magny’s legacy.
