Neil Magny once again demonstrated his resilience at UFC Perth. Known as the “gatekeeper” of the welterweight division, Magny now holds the second-most wins in UFC history, thanks to his latest impressive comeback performance.
In his 36th walk to the Octagon against fellow veteran Jake Matthews, Magny handed the Australians their only loss in Perth by submitting Matthews in the final round. However, the result was not without controversy. The fight was stopped by the referee right before the buzzer in the first round when Magny was caught in a tight guillotine choke.
The referee intervened, believing Magny`s arm had gone limp, but as soon as the hold was released, Magny insisted he hadn`t lost consciousness, and the referee allowed the fight to continue. While Matthews and his team figure out their next steps, Magny shares his thoughts on the contentious end of round one.
Neil Magny: “I was fighting for air” before referee stepped in at UFC Perth
Neil Magny could have been mere seconds away from losing full consciousness at UFC Perth, but it didn`t happen. While in the choke, Magny revealed he was counting down the seconds left in the round before the referee intervened.
“At the end of the round, I was like, the round was already up,” Magny said on the post-fight show. “He has a pretty tight choke. The best I could do was just keep holding on for air, for circulation.”
“So, I kinda held my arm out for a bit, and then once I heard the clack for ten seconds left, I immediately started counting down in my own head. Just like, `Alright, cool. Ten, nine, eight,` all the way down to one. As soon as I was expecting the bell to go, [the referee stepped in].”
“I mean, the choke was deep, but at that point, it was just a matter of fighting for air in that moment and not letting my lights go out, so to speak,” Magny added.
Jake Matthews plans to appeal Neil Magny loss after UFC Perth
For a few seconds after round one, Matthews had thought he had won. Legendary referee John McCarthy suggested that the initial stoppage in round one could have resulted in an “adrenaline dump” for Matthews.
Whatever the case, Matthews plans to appeal the result, as the fight was initially stopped right before the end of the opening round.
“The fight stoppage is currently under review by the state combat commission,” Matthews wrote on Instagram. “It`s not easy to switch back on after a referee`s call, but we`ll leave it in their hands and see where it goes. At the end of the day, rules are rules,” Matthews concluded.
Matthews` management confirmed that they will be appealing the result.
