On the undercard of Saturday night’s exciting UFC Atlantic City card, Merab Dvalishvili and hist short-notice replacement opponent Rick Simon engaged in an exciting, three-round war. Unfortunately, the end of this contest was shadowed in controversy.
As the seconds wore off the clock, Simon, who seemed to be down two rounds, locked up a mounted guillotine. Though the choke looked deep, Dvalishvili showed incredible toughness, refusing to tap and frantically flailing his legs in what looked like an effort to show the referee he was still conscious.
Once the final horn had sounded, however, it became quite clear that somewhere along the line, Dvalishvili had faded out of consciousnesses. After a few confusing moments, this resulted in a TKO win for Simon, rather than a decision win for Dvalishvili as initially expected.
In the wake of this controversy, some members of the MMA community have suggested Dvalishvili never went out, and that he should have earned a decision win. Others, meanwhile, agree with the outcome we ultimately got.
In the opinion of current Bellator MMA commentator “Big” John McCarthy, who has long been considered one of the best referees in the game, the right decision was made. McCarthy not only believes Dvalishvili was out when the bout ended, but that he went out previously, having briefly turned himself off when his head bounced off the canvas after a takedown.
McCarthy gave his take on the issue on Twitter over the weekend, engaging with fans who debated the issue. See his comments below.
Right outcome with Simon winning, wrong call as far as TKO #AskBJM https://t.co/IuxZ4n1wHd
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) April 22, 2018
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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
As you can see, McCarthy agrees that Simon should have won—he just feels he should have been awarded a submission win, not a TKO win.
What did you think of the fight-ending sequence in Merab Dvalishvili’s bizarre battle with Ricky Simon? Join the conversation in the comments section.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/23/2018.