UFC 294 turned out to be a very bizarre event. While there were many wrong decisions throughout the card, the main event is marred by its own controversy. In the main event, Lightweight Champion, Islam Makhachev knocked out Alexander Volkanovski via head kick.
However, the controversy is related to the follow-up strikes landed by Makhachev on Volk’s head. Former referee John McCarthy has now given his take on the situation.
Many MMA fans are confused about the strikes landed on the back of the head by Islam. Usually, these strikes are illegal in accordance with the unified rules, but in this case, there was no disqualification. However, ‘Big’ John McCarthy’s tweet regarding this method has shocked the fans.
Everything thrown in this situation is considered a legal strike. https://t.co/zsF4fhQH80
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) October 23, 2023
When an X user asked ‘Big’ John if the strikes landed by Makhachev were legit, the legendary referee responded by tweeting that every strike thrown by Islam Makachev in that situation should be considered a legal strike. He did not explain the reasoning behind his analysis, leaving MMA fans asking questions about his tweet.
Many X users disagree with McCarthy’s take and the lack of explanation of his statement. However, there were some fans who supported his statement by saying that the strikes were legal since Volk was moving his head.
Conor McGregor feels that Islam Makhachev could have been disqualified for his illegal strikes
‘The Notorious One’ shared his view about the “illegal strikes” in a now-deleted tweet. Conor McGregor went on to defend the referee by claiming that it was tricky to stop the match for a point deduction or warning since Volk was already out.
However, McGregor also said that there were grounds for disqualification since the strikes landed on the back of the head. According to ‘The Notorious One’, he would have loved to see the referee intervene and either disqualify Makhachev or give Volkanovski some time to recover. “Would have been nail-biting stuff. I’d love to see it happen,” said Conor.
This was a very tricky call to make, and some MMA fans agree with the decision of referee Marc Goddard. However, there is a group of fans who believe that Goddard should have either disqualified Islam Makhachev or given Alexander Volkanovski some time to recover.
With this performance, Islam Makhachev has become the first fighter to finish Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC. Do you agree with John McCarthy about Islam Makhachev being disqualified? Let us know in the comments below.