Veteran MMA referee John McCarthy has some important insight into the rules surrounding the controversial stoppage of Kevin Holland's submission of Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 302.
This weekend at UFC 302, fan-favorite contender Kevin Holland earned a much-needed victory by breaking opponent Michal Oleksiechuk's arm in one of the most brutal stoppages in recent MMA memory.
When the opponent refused to tap, Kevin Holland went for the snap.
After being knocked down in the opening round, Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland repositioned himself on the ground and scored an armbar against Oleksiechuk.
But the Polish fighter refused to tap out via submission, forcing Holland to stretch his limbs and fight back.
Holland himself appeared to ask referee Herb Dean to stop the fight just before the break, sparking criticism of the veteran official, with fans arguing Dean should have intervened regardless of whether Oleksiejczuk tapped.
John McCarthy commented on umpire Herb Dean's decision to refuse to intervene.
“Big” John McCarthy is not only a veteran referee, but one of the most well-known and influential referees in mixed martial arts and was instrumental in planning and implementing the unified rules for mixed martial arts when the sport was in its infancy.
So, it’s fair to say that when it comes to complex or controversial issues involving UFC referees, McCarthy’s perspective is crucial to not only quell fan anger, but also educate MMA fans around the world about what referees should and shouldn’t do.
photograph Social media In the aftermath of Kevin Holland's brutal submission win, McCarthy was asked by retired UFC fighter Alan Jouban what the guidelines are if a referee spots a broken limb during a fight.
“As a professional fighter, the referee should give the fighter a chance to escape the submission. But if the referee sees a dislocated or broken limb, the fight is over. It doesn't matter if the fighter didn't tap out.”
“When you look at the record and it says victory by 'technical submission armbar,' it means the losing fighter broke or dislocated a limb. When it says victory by choke it means the fighter was rendered unconscious by submission without tapping out.”
“If the referee observes a dislocation or fracture of a major limb due to a submission hold, the referee will stop the bout and the injured fighter will lose by technical submission,” he said. explanation In a follow-up article later Focus on it The decision to stop a bout when such an injury occurs rests with the ringside doctor, not the referee.
“If the referee sees a fighter's arm is deformed and feels that it may be broken, he can call a timeout of the bout and bring the fighter to the ringside physician for examination. It is then up to the ringside physician to decide whether the fighter can continue or the bout should end.”
McCarthy also said those guidelines are clearly communicated to fighters before they step into the ring, with fan-favorite referees explaining that fighters cannot call their own timeout in those situations, even if the limb isn't completely broken.
“I always told my players: 'If you break a finger or a toe and you want to keep playing, just keep fighting. I look at the injury and, unless it's a compound injury, I let you keep playing…'”
“If you stop the fight and show an injury like you need help, I will stop the fight and you will lose by TKO. A player cannot call a timeout for a legitimate injury, meaning there was no foul that caused the injury.”
McCarthy's defense of Herb Dean's fair actions in the Holland fight was echoed by former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen added on his official YouTube channel that the fans who insulted Herb Dean over the stoppage were “out of place” and that the referee made the “right decision” to allow the stoppage – no matter how brutal it was.
With the win in Newark, Kevin Holland improved his professional record to 26-11.
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