A UFC event wouldn’t be a UFC event without controversy. UFC Fight Night 85 was no exception, as it had its’ fair share of controversial moments this past Saturday evening in Brisbane, Australia.
The biggest controversy coming out of the show stems from the co-main event between Hector Lombard and Neil Magny. Referee Steve Perceval is being heavily criticized for not stopping the bout at the end of the second round, as Magny was teeing off on Lombard well past the point that most referees would allow.
Magny would go on to TKO Lombard in the third round, however UFC’s managing director for operations in Canada, Tom Wright, didn’t forget what he and the rest of the UFC executives in attendance saw during the end of the second round.
Wright spoke about the controversy in the Lombard-Magny fight during the UFC Fight Night 85 post-fight press conference held after event in Brisbane on Saturday.
“We were a lot concerned,” Wright said regarding the fact that referee Steve Perceval failed to stop the fight at the end of the second round. “I think [Magny] said it best. It’s the referee’s job, is to make sure that a fight is stopped, that the athlete can protect himself or herself. I’m sitting not quite as close as the referee was, but I thought that fight should’ve been stopped and it should’ve been stopped a long time before.”
You can watch video highlights of the controversial Magny-Lombard bout by clicking here.
For complete UFC Fight Night 85 results, click here.
