Former MMA referee and current Bellator commentator John McCarthy explained how he helped former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones avoid defeat.
John McCarthy
Jon would have lost his title had I not been a part of his fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165. In that fight, John missed a punch in the first round and got a cut above his right eye. At the end of the fourth round, the doctor looked at the cut and said the fight should be stopped, and Jon had just won the round by almost finishing Gustafsson. So I told the doctor that I would let them continue the fight, and he said he didn't like it. If I had listened to him and stopped the fight, Gustafsson would have won.
Recall that the first fight between Jones and Gustafsson took place in September 2013 at UFC 165. The fight went the full five rounds and Jones won by unanimous decision.
On March 4 at UFC 285, Jon Jones will fight Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title.
Jones, 35, last competed at UFC 247 in February 2020, beating Dominick Reyes by unanimous decision. He has 26 wins and one loss under his belt.
