"Never saw it" - John McCarthy claims he never saw Georges St-Pierre tap to strikes while officiating title fight against Matt Serra
Georges St-Pierre is widely considered one of the best fighters to have emerged from the UFC. However, his record sports an indelible stain from his fight against Matt Serra at UFC 69.
Many fans pointed out that GSP tapped to strikes in the contest. However, referee John McCarthy recently came to his defense, dismissing any claims that the fight would have continued had the Canadian not tapped.
While in conversation with Josh Thomson on the Weighing In podcast, John McCarthy opened up about the time Georges St-Pierre clashed with Matt Serra. He asserted that he didn't see 'Rush' tap out before he stepped in to stop the fight. McCarthy suggested that a barrage of unanswered shots had already made his mind up before St-Pierre's submission.
"I did that fight (St-Pierre vs. Serra). I never saw him tap. Because I'm looking down at him and he's getting barraged and I stopped it right at the time he tapped. Because I was stopping the fight. It didn't matter, I was stopping it. The whole thing with him tapping, so what? I was going to stop the fight anyway. That's what I was doing. Never saw it."
Catch John Mccarthy's take on St-Pierre's tap on the Weiging In podcast below:
Georges St-Pierre declared that the loss to Matt Serra was the most humiliating
Having dominated some of the biggest names in the business, like B.J. Penn and Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre is truly a legend of the game. However, his career is not without its own assortment of setbacks, especially the one he endured at the hands of Matt Serra.
As a young and brash fighter who had earned a significant amount of success, Georges St-Pierre admitted that he went into the fight brimming with confidence. What transpired, however, went on to become the darkest day of his career. He offered fans some insight into his loss while in conversation with BT Sport.
"I was the new face of the UFC, I was young and I was the guy who just beat Matt Hughes. Everyone saw in me an aura of invincibility, and I started to believe in it. It was the most humiliating thing in my career."
Catch St-Pierre's comments during an interview with BT Sport below:
However, 'Rush' admitted that his loss against Serra only made him stronger and bolstered his resolve to become a better martial artist.