Jake Matthews Rallies Past Magny Controversy Before Macau Return
jake matthews is back in action this weekend in Macau, and the Australian welterweight is doing it with the disputed finish against Neil Magny still attached to his last result. He believed he had secured a submission before the end of the first round, only for the bout to continue and end with a third-round submission loss.
Matthews And The Magny Finish
Matthews had Magny in a mounted guillotine choke as the first round wound down. The 10-second clacker sounded during the sequence, analyst Paul Felder noted how tight the hold was on the broadcast, and Perdios then said, “He’s out!” before putting both hands on Matthews’ back and signaling him to release the choke.
He let go and started celebrating after the horn. Magny rose in frustration, objected to the stoppage, and the referee said the round was over and the fight would go on. Matthews later lost by submission in the third round, turning what looked like a finish into a setback on the official card.
Macau Return For Carlston Harris
Matthews said there was no way to go back and change what happened, and that he does not dwell on it. He said the relief from thinking he had won hit him when the fight was called off, and he pushed hard in the second round because he knew that was all he had in him.
“For me to rally in the second round and dominate the way that I did makes me proud to have been able to do that,” he said. He also said, “I pushed hard in the second round to get the finish because I knew that was all I had in me.” That response is the part he is carrying into this weekend, when he returns against Carlston Harris in Macau.
Matthews said he probably should have protested more forcefully at the time. “Again, it’s one of those things you cannot go and change, but in hindsight, I probably just should have protested and said, ‘Nah!’” he said. He added, “I should have sat on the canvas and said, “No — you can disqualify me if you want, but I’m gonna protest and take a stand.’”
Relief, Adrenaline, And Recovery
The 32-year-old also said the emotional swing came fast once the sequence ended, with the relief of a perceived win giving way to the reality of a fight that had to keep going. Matthews said Michael Bisping had noted that it can take two weeks to recover from the adrenaline dump from a fight, a detail that fits the way he described the aftermath.
That leaves his Macau assignment tied directly to how he handled the Magny mess: he is not revisiting it, but he is carrying the memory of a choke that looked decisive, a stoppage that did not stick, and a loss that followed in the third round. Against Harris, the practical test is simpler — whether he can turn that same late-round urgency into a cleaner finish instead of another hard lesson.
