Following Josh Burkman ‘s submission victory over Jon Fitch earlier this month in World Series of Fighting 3′s headliner, referee Steve Mazzagatti came under fire for an apparent late stoppage. One fellow ref, though, has come to his defense. Veteran official “Big” John McCarthy, who’s been policing the cage for two decades, doesn’t agree with the recent scathing criticism from Dana White . Following UFC 161, the UFC president, who’s long spoken out against Mazzagatti, said the ref is “dangerous” and “will seriously hurt somebody.” McCarthy, though, said the nature of the stoppage – Burkman actually broke the guillotine choke and showed Fitch was unconscious, before Mazzagatti noticed – wasn’t as serious as some have made it out to be. While McCarthy said Mazzagatti should have shifted to the other side of the fighters to get a better look at Fitch while he was in the choke, he said little damage was done in the June 14 fight
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McCarthy on Mazzagatti criticism: ‘Safety of [Fitch] wasn’t in jeopardy’ – MMA Junkie