John McCarthy and Ontario Commission on near stoppage during Jones vs. Gustafsson

One of the roles of UFC president Dana White is to get fans talking about the fights and the organization he presides over. White has been wildly successful at that aspect of his job. The downside is that sometimes White's words are accepted as gospel, when in fact they fall a bit more on the promotional side of the equation.

An example. Following Saturday's UFC 165 main event between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, White told Fox Sports:

I don't know if you've heard, but the doctors were going to stop the fight in the last round because of the cut. Jones begged him not to stop the fight. And from what I understand (referee John) McCarthy did too - pleaded with them not to stop the fight.

McCarthy, appearing on The MMA Hour laughed at the assertion that he had begged or pleaded with the doctor to allow the fight to go on before adding " He's (White) right on one thing. The doctor was concerned about Jon's eye, and if you looked at it, it was a serious cut."

Gustafsson opened the cut above Jones' right eye with a glancing blow in the first round of their fight. By the time the fourth round came to a close, the cut had widened, and blood flowed freely into Jones' eye. When Ontario Athletic Commission (OAC) senior physician, Dr. Jason Su came into the Octagon to check on Jones, McCarthy said the doctor expressed concern about the cut. McCarthy said he told Dr. Su, "I will look at it. If it gets worse, I promise you I will bring him to you."

McCarthy did not need to consult with Su during the fifth and final round of the bout, and Jones went on to earn a unanimous decision victory. The win was Jones' sixth consecutive UFC light heavyweight title defense and tenth consecutive victory, both records for the weight division.

When contacted via email by Bloody Elbow about White's statement, that Dr. Su may have been influenced by alleged begging and pleading from either Jones or McCarthy, Richard Hustwick, OAC Senior Advisor of Operational Policy and Stakeholder Relations replied:

The only factor that an OAC physician considers in deciding whether a fighter can continue fighting is the physical condition of the fighter. The OAC's senior physician, Dr. Jason Su, who is a sports medicine specialist, examined Jon Jones between rounds and determined that Mr. Jones was healthy to continue fighting.

Following the fight, both Jones and Gustafsson would be absent from the post-fight press conference. Instead, the two fighters would head to a Toronto hospital where they would be evaluated, and according to MMAJunkie.com later released with no significant injuries.

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