McCarthy: Dvalishvili stoppage was ‘right outcome’
The longtime former UFC referee and current Bellator commentator gave some additional perspective to the strange ending to Merab Dvalishvili’s fight with Ricky Simon in Atlantic City.
Add another voice to those that think referee Liam Kerrigan made the right call, Saturday night in Atlantic City, when he awarded Ricky Simon the victory over Merab Dvalishvili. The two bantamweights were engaged in a back and fourth war for 14 minutes at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee (largely won by Team Serra-Longo’s Dvalishvili), when Simon defended a late takedown with a guillotine. And although Dvalishvili made it to the final bell, Simon was awarded a TKO victory.
Referee Marc Goddard – who was working with the commission that night – backed up Kerrigan’s decision to award Simon the win, saying, “He was actually out. And in that instance, it’s like any other instance if you pick up a rear-naked choke or guillotine.” Now longtime UFC referee, and current voice-in-the-booth for Bellator MMA, ‘Big’ John McCarthy is making it known that he agrees... at least with Simon winning. Maybe not so much with the TKO part.
McCarthy took to Twitter over the weekend to give his thoughts and respond to various questions about the decision.
Right outcome with Simon winning, wrong call as far as TKO #AskBJM https://t.co/IuxZ4n1wHd
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) April 22, 2018
How do you have a TKO on a Submission win??? Come on @arielhelwani you know that can’t be right. https://t.co/2biQh5mkzi
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) April 22, 2018
Frank trust me he went out twice. First time when he slammed his head into the mat on the takedown at 56 sec left and then on the neck crank at the bell https://t.co/wOHlPXjAEx
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) April 22, 2018
At the 56 sec mark the fighter is knocked silly if not out by his own takedown. That is why Simon moves to mount and the neck crank so easily. At the end the fighter is out for a second therefore he has been submitted and loses as such. It should never be ruled as a TKO #AskBJM https://t.co/6rOLeSBSn7
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) April 22, 2018
Saved by the bell was a shitty sitcom and a term that is associated with old boxing. It does not apply to this and MMA with submissions. Man was out at the bell and several times before. Why is it you want someone to win a fight they were submitted in? #AskBJM https://t.co/Q4cH4Aoi4z
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) April 22, 2018
He also gave his thoughts on a couple of similar situations; reflecting on Anderson Silva’s fight with Michael Bisping, where Silva appeared to knock Bisping out at the end of the third round, but the fight continued regardless. And there’s his take from January of last year, when Celine Haga lost a unanimous decision to Amy Montenegro, despite rendering Montenegro unconscious via rear naked choke as the final bell was sounding. Haga appealed the loss, but to no success.
No, the referee did not call the fight. Silva decided it was over and jumped up on the cage, that was his mistake #AskBJM https://t.co/X1IcaG9MP9
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) April 22, 2018
Well problem is she was out. She was out before the bell & she was out when the bell rang. You don't get choked out & win the fight #AskBJM https://t.co/HsZjfANbGr
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) January 15, 2017
It may be in those other two examples that the real problem with Kerrigan’s decision to award Dvalishvili the win lies. Not that he made the wrong move, but in past, similar situations the fight has continued on to the judges scorecards, even when it shouldn’t have.
Dvalishvili likely won’t have any better case to challenge the decision than Haga, either, despite being on the opposite end of the referee’s ruling. Commissions tend to defer to the judgement of their referees in these scenarios. So while eventually, the right man may very well have won last weekend, MMA officiating and rule enforcement is none the clearer for it.