Why not a DQ or No Contest? ‘Big’ John McCarthy breaks down Chris Weidman’s controversial win vs. Bruno Silva

John McCarthy has shared his opinions on the matchup between Chris Weidman and Bruno Silva.

On Saturday night in Atlantic City, McCarthy made his return to the cage. He went up against Brazilian striker Bruno Silva, despite being considered a heavy underdog. However, the 39-year-old wrestler put up an impressive fight.

In the last round of the fight, Weidman successfully knocked down Silva and was declared the winner by stoppage. However, this was met with immediate controversy due to Weidman’s repeated eye pokes on the Brazilian during the finishing sequence, which had already occurred multiple times throughout the match.

Even though the bout was called off, jhnWeidman still managed to secure a technical decision victory. Unfortunately, the fight could not be resumed and so referee Gary Copeland had to turn to the scorecards, as the match had already reached the third round.

Despite speculation and confusion over the outcome of the bout, referee McCarthy clarified in an interview with MMAJunkie that the match could not be declared a no-contest or disqualification loss for Weidman due to the timing of its conclusion.

Despite the possibility of being disqualified if the referee deemed the eye pokes intentional, Weidman was fortunate to have Copeland believe they were unintentional, resulting in the match being decided by technical decision. In the interview, McCarthy clarified:

“Once you’re in the third round, there is no no-contest. You’ve entered the third round of the fight, and under the rules, the first two rounds have been scored. You’re going to have the judges score what took place in the third round.”

McCarthy went on to say:

“Absolutely he could’ve disqualified him. That’s a choice he had the ability to make but didn’t feel it… He didn’t feel Chris Weidman in any way meant to do that. So the DQ probably wasn’t a question in his mind.”

Take a look at his remarks down below:

Could Chris Weidman’s technical decision victory face reversal?

Although John McCarthy previously stated that Chris Weidman’s victory on Saturday could not be overturned to a no-contest, it is now possible to do so.

After his defeat on Saturday night, Bruno Silva declared his desire to challenge the result. Considering the numerous fouls he endured, it is difficult not to sympathize with the Brazilian.

Although Weidman’s fight could not initially be declared a no-contest on the night of the event, there is a possibility of a change upon appeal. The New Jersey State Athletic Commission has the authority to reverse decisions after the fight has taken place.

In most cases, an appeal in MMA is unsuccessful. However, New Jersey stands out as it has been more open to reversing fight outcomes compared to a place like Nevada.

In 2021, Renan Ferreira’s win against former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum was nullified due to a failure to recognize a tap. However, it should be noted that this scenario differs significantly.