John McCarthy explains why Chris Curtis' UFC Fight Night 249 stoppage loss was a mistake

John McCarthy believes Chris Curtis has a right to be upset about his loss at UFC Fight Night 249.

Curtis (31-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC) was outraged by referee Mark Smith’s stoppage of his fight against Roman Kopylov (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) on Saturday at the UFC Apex, where he was dropped with one second left in the fight.

After landing a head kick that floored Curtis, Kopylov walked way, prompting Smith to waive the fight off. Curtis immediately protested, and former referee McCarthy explains why he agrees.

“Going into the third, I had it 1-1,” McCarthy said on his “Weighing-In” podcast. “It was obvious Kopylov was winning the third round, but I know the stoppage was bad. If Kopylov had gone after Chris, it’s a good stoppage. …You’ve got to stop the fight when the person cannot defend themselves and at that moment, there was nothing to defend against. You’re taking a look at what happened with Curtis. Curtis got hurt, he got hit with a good kick and goes down on the side, but he’s looking towards his opponent to a point, and his opponent’s walking off.

“He has nothing to defend. Don’t stop the fight there. If he’s out, stop the fight. But if he’s not, and his opponent’s walking off and you know I’ve already heard the clapping of the boards, so I know I’ve been counting off in my head, if you’re doing the job correctly, what second I’m at. I know that I’ve only got two, three seconds left in this fight, and I have an opponent who’s walking away, I don’t stop the fight.”

Kopylov defended Smith’s stoppage, whereas Curtis released a statement after the fight venting his frustration.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.