"Is that technique gonna finish the fight?" - 'Big' John McCarthy backs Herb Dean's decision to separate Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards allowing 'Rocky' to set up KO

Moments before Kamaru Usman was knocked out by Leon Edwards in the fifth round of their UFC 278 welterweight title fight, referee Herb Dean separated them from a position where 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was holding 'Rocky' against the cage. Some have criticized Dean for allegedly changing the course of the fight, but historic MMA referee 'Big' John McCarthy says his actions were justified.

In a new episode of Weighing In, McCarthy explained that referees often allow fighters to jockey against the cage more in earlier rounds, when knees to the thigh and cardio drain could legitimately affect the outcome of the fight later. Coming into the end of the fight, the same maneuver is seen as stalling. McCarthy said:

"When you're putting someone up against the cage, it's the fifth round of a world title fight, and all you're doing is holding on and throwing the occasional knee to the thigh, you're asking the referee to say 'All right, separate.' And that's what Herb Dean's doing. He's got a much shorter window that he's going to allow that kind of action to take place in the fifth round than he will in the first round."

This is a huge moment
The irony that John Anik says Herb Dean has done a good job of not making the fight about himself and then he breaks them up

#UFC278 #UsmanEdwards2 https://t.co/gbxguiW16u

McCarthy continued:

"Because it's a matter of 'Is that technique gonna finish the fight?' Definitely not gonna finish the fight. So what you're trying to do is let time go by. You're just wasting the clock. 'Okay, I'll let you waste a little bit, but I'm not going to let you waste near as what I would have earlier on to see if you'd land heavier knees to the thigh that are going to make him not be able to do the things that he needed to do.'"

Watch 'Big' John McCarthy discuss Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards below:

Kamaru Usman feels like 'weight has been lifted' after UFC 278 title loss

Kamaru Usman was on an impressive 19-fight win streak, 15 of which took place in the UFC. If he had beaten Leon Edwards at UFC 278 he would have tied Anderson Silva's 16-fight win streak record. Now that the streak is over, Kamaru Usman doesn't sound upset. According to Dana White, the former welterweight champion is actually relieved.

Following the latest Contender Series event, Dana White said:

“We talked. He’s in great spirits. Obviously he wants the rematch bad, but he said, ‘I can’t tell you the weight that’s been lifted off me.’ There’s a lot of pressure that goes along with the run that he was on and tying and breaking Anderson’s record. All that stuff, there’s a lot of pressure. So, he’s looking forward to the rematch.”

White added that Leon Edwards is also looking forward to a third fight with Kamaru Usman. The big demand on his side was that the bout take place in the UK. White confirmed that the UFC was reaching out to venues across England to set up a trilogy fight for early 2023.

'We would hold it prime time in the UK' 😍

@danawhite says that Edwards 🆚 Usman III will be held in England 🏆

Multiple venues being look at 🏟️ https://t.co/Uqnq2U49cR