Neil Magny did it again at UFC Perth.
Long known for being the gatekeeper of the welterweight division, Neil Magny now holds the second-most wins in UFC history after his latest comeback performance.
Magny made his 36th walk to the Octagon against fellow veteran Jake Matthews on Sunday morning, handing the Australians their only loss in Perth by submitting Matthews in the final round.
The result wasn’t without controversy as the fight was stopped by the referee right before the buzzer in round 1 when Magny was caught in a tight guillotine choke.
The referee intervened after thinking Magny’s arm had gone limp, but upon the choke being released, Magny maintained that he wasn’t out and the referee let the fight continue.
As Matthews and his team figure out what’s next, Magny details where his head was at the end of round 1.
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Neil Magny says he was ‘fighting for air’ before referee stepped in at UFC Perth
Magny could have been a few seconds away from going completely unconscious at UFC Perth, but he didn’t.
While in the choke, Magny revealed he was counting down the seconds in the round before the referee intervened.
“At the end of the round, I was like, the round was already up,” Magny said on the post-fight show.
“He has a pretty tight choke,” Magny said of Matthews.
“The best I could do is just keep holding on for air, keep holding on for blood, to keep that circulation going.
“So, I kinda held my arm out for a bit and then once I heard the clack for ten seconds left, I immediately started counting down in my own head. Just like, alright, cool. Ten, nine, eight, all the way down to one.
“As soon as I was expecting the bell to go, [the referee stepped in].
“I mean, the choke was deep, but at that point, it was just a matter of just fighting for air in that moment and not letting my lights go out, so to speak,” said Magny.
Jake Matthews plans to appeal Neil Magny loss after UFC Perth
For a few seconds after round 1, Matthews had thought he won.
Legendary referee John McCarthy says the initial stoppage in round 1 could have resulted in an adrenaline dump for Matthews.
Whatever the case was, Matthews plans to overturn the result since the fight was initially stopped right before the end of the opening round.
“The fight stoppage is currently under review by the state combat commission,” Matthews wrote on Instagram.
“It’s not easy to switch back on after a referee’s call, but we’ll leave it in their hands and see where it goes.
“At the end of the day, rules are rules,” Matthews added.
Matthews’ management confirmed to BJPenn.com that they will be appealing the result.