Large John McCarthy is a legendary MMA referee who coined the time period “mixed martial arts” and helped write lots of the sport’s early guidelines. Officiating his first card again at UFC 2 in 1994, Large John is extensively thought to be a supreme authority on guidelines and referee conduct.
Though he has retired from refereeing bouts, Large John stays concerned within the sport by educating COMMAND programs, a hybrid referee and judging class. COMMAND is an internationally acknowledged faculty for MMA referees and judges.
A controversial second involving a referee occurred on Saturday throughout UFC Struggle Evening: Ulberg vs. Reyes, within the battle between Neil Magny and Jake Matthews. Matthews had Magny locked in a submission with solely seconds left within the first spherical when referee Jim Perdios stepped in and stopped the battle, believing Magny had gone unconscious. Nonetheless, Magny was nonetheless aware and instantly protested the stoppage.
The UFC commentary workforce reacted to the unlucky flip of occasions. Moments later, confusion ensued when the referee knowledgeable the fighters that the spherical had truly ended and the battle would proceed. This resolution 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 nonetheless time left on the clock when the referee prematurely intervened.
In occasions of complicated or controversial referee choices, the MMA neighborhood usually turns to Large John McCarthy. He addressed the problem throughout the newest episode of his Weighing In podcast.
Large 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,” Large John defined whereas breaking down the sequence.
He added additional perception 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, Large 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.”
Ultimately, the choice to renew the battle seemed to be the right name. It paved the way in which for a dramatic comeback submission victory by UFC veteran Neil Magny. Had the bout been stopped within the first spherical, followers would have been disadvantaged of a memorable second that now provides to Magny’s legacy.
