Respected referee “Big” John McCarthy has responded to Daniel Cormier’s apology and critics of his UFC 214 stoppage.
On Saturday night (July 29), Daniel Cormier defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title against Jon Jones. “Bones” recaptured the gold with a third-round head kick followed by ground-and-pound. McCarthy gave Cormier plenty of time to recover, but “DC” couldn’t get back up.
After the fight a visibly distraught Cormier lightly shoved McCarthy and protested the stoppage. This was before Cormier looked up at the screen and realized his loss was clean. He later released a statement apologizing to the renowned official.
McCarthy took to his Twitter account to respond to the former champion:
“You have nothing to apologize for. You have been an incredible champion who has represented the sport of MMA with class and dignity. You also fought a great fight against an incredible competitor. It was an honor being in the cage with two of the greatest.”
McCarthy actually agrees with those who say he could have stopped the fight sooner.
“Every referee wants to be perfect, but that’s just not a possibility. I know why I let it go, what I was looking for and what I told ‘DC.’ I have watched the fight too many times and believe I should have stopped the fight 2 punches earlier. But I don’t get second chances.”
