At UFC Perth, Neil Magny vs. Jake Matthews’s welterweight clash sparked major controversy. By the end of the first round, the Aussie had the welterweight veteran trapped in a tight guillotine choke that nearly sealed the win. As Magny’s arm appeared to go limp, the referee stepped in to stop the fight. But the ‘Haitian Sensation’ immediately protested the call, forcing the referee to resume the bout. In the end, Magny secured the victory with a brabo choke in the third round. Disappointed with the loss, Matthews decided to take a drastic decision. 

The Aussie fighter and his management decided to appeal the decision to the commission and also shared a post on his Instagram. Aware of how hard it is to overturn a result, he wrote, “The fight stoppage is currently under review by the state combat commission. 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.” Since then, fans had been waiting to see the outcome of his appeal. Almost a month later, the Western Australia MMA Commission finally gave its verdict, which went towards Brooklyn’s Neil Magny. 

Australia MMA Commission says Neil Magny’s win stands

Magny wrote on Instagram, “Appeal Denied: “Dear Mr. McLuskey, following the review of Jake Matthews versus Neil Magny bout held at the UFC fight night – 28 September 2025, I can confirm the referee’s decision will remain as final…” In accordance with the Unified Rules of MMA and under Western Australia’s Combat Sports Commission, the referee’s decision will remain final. Neil Magny’s win is confirmed.”  

Well, that’s definitely a big win for Neil Magny as he gets to keep his victory. However, although rare, there have been a few times when fighters actually managed to appeal and overturn a referee’s decision.

One such instance happened at UFC Fight Night 62, where Drew Dober vs. Leandro Silva’s lightweight bout was marred by controversy. During the fight, Silva had Dober in a guillotine choke, but the referee abruptly stopped the contest, handing the Brazilian a second-round submission win.

Dober decided to appeal the decision to the Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA), which, after further investigation, overturned the fight’s result to a no-contest. While that was a success for the Nebraska native, most decisions are generally hard to change, and even Dana White once failed to overturn one of the most famous DQ losses in UFC history. 

Dana White could not overturn Jon Jones’s DQ loss   

In 2009, Jon Jones lost his undefeated record to Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale. The most disappointing part was that ‘Bones’ didn’t lose after a hard-fought battle. After dominating Hamill for most of the first round, Jones landed a series of 12-6 elbows, which was an illegal strike under the Nevada State Athletic Commission rules at the time, leading ref Steve Mazzagatti to disqualify him.  

After that loss, Jon Jones was heartbroken — but he wasn’t the only one. Dana White also seemed deeply affected by that decision. So, when the 12-6 elbows became legal in the UFC in November 2024, the UFC CEO tried to overturn that disqualification. Unfortunately, the result stayed the same.

During an appearance on The Jim Rome Show in 2024, White said, “That fight should have been stopped, it should have been over, and Jones should be 27-0. I fought hard to get that one taken off his record, but I haven’t been able to get it done. It’s horrible. It’s a referee that I said a million times should not even be in the Octagon. But what are you going to do?” Well, it once again proved that Dana White’s admiration for Jon Jones and his grudge against Mazzagatti will probably never fade. No matter how many years go by.

That said, with another chapter added to the list of UFC fighters appealing to overturn a decision, do you think Matthews was right to challenge the referee’s call that caused the debacle in the first place? And did the commission make the right move by ruling the judgment in favor of Magny? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.