UFC 300 will go down in memory as arguably one of the greatest combat sports events ever. One of the main features of the event was the all-Chinese title fight between Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan. Nevertheless, the historic fight was marred by a controversy that involved color commentator Joe Rogan, who insinuated that the title challenger had used smelling salts during the fight.

The strawweight title fight which was the co-main event, saw Yan Xiaonan catch her in a rear-naked choke and almost lose the fight in the very first round itself. Yet, what was shocking to many is that she persevered, saved by the bell and what seemed like being woken up by Jason Herzog. After she jittered to her corner, Joe Rogan claimed to have noticed the use of smelling salts to wake Xiaonan up. However, after Xiaonan disclosed that this was far from the truth, now, veteran MMA referee John McCarthy refuted that claim and explained what really went down in the Chinese star’s corner.

Joe Rogan gets fact-checked regarding Yan Xiaonan

Referee John McCarthy, who also analyzes fights via his YouTube channel, shared a tweet, explaining what happened during the strawweight title fight at UFC 300. Firstly, he dismissed the notion that Yan Xiaonan had used any kind of smelling salts just because the commentary team saw the cutman, Rudy Hernandez, put his fighter in her nose.

McCarthy wrote, “There were no smelling salts used in the Zhang vs Xiaonan fight. The Commentators thought they saw the cutman who works for the UFC (not the fighter) putting something under the nose of Yan after saying, ‘Do you want me to wake her up??'” Jon McCarthy would further clarify the incident by talking about a technique that is prevalent in boxing and is often used to wake fighters up.

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“The cutman (Rudy Hernandez) used a technique often seen in boxing where you push at the base of the nose, in and up to create pain. It makes the brain respond to the pressure of the push,” the veteran referee added. “Rudy was using his fingers to create the pressure and the gloves he was wearing were black. The commentary mistook the verbal question and the technique used. There was nothing done that broke any rules.”

On the other hand, when Yan Xiaonan heard that Joe Rogan had insinuated that she used smelling salts, she broke her silence as well.

Xiaonan deems smelling salt claims as “nonsense”

Yan Xiaonan put on a great fight against the champion, Zhang Weili, in an all-important Chinese vs. Chinese UFC fight. As such, the fact that there were allegations about her using smelling salts seemed to bother her. Consequently, she came forward to clarify what was happening in her corner after nearly getting choked out. She maintained that she had no idea about what was going on while she was recovering, but also asserted that smelling salts were never used by anyone, not by the team and not by the cutman.

“So I didn’t notice what the cutman was doing but the smelling salt things is a big nonsense, nobody put those to let me smell that, nobody used those things to wake me up, no,” the ‘Fury Nine’ stated on ‘The MMA Hour‘. With two credible sources refuting what Joe Rogan had to say, hopefully, this is the end of the issue in question.

Mistakes happen in every walk of life. For sports, it is no different. Commentary slip-ups and misjudgment of situations can often take place. But what do you think about what went down in UFC 300, and John McCarthy’s explanation of Rogan’s claim about smelling salts? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.