Referee explains rule applied in controversial fight of former champion at UFC 326

Garbrandt promotes UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

In addition to the gala performance promoted by Charles of the Bronx in the rematch against Max Holloway, UFC 326 It brought fans several memorable moments, for better or for worse. In the last fight of the preliminary card, for example, viewers were astonished to watch... Cody Garbrandt vomits when hit by Xiao Long with blows to the genital area on three occasions. In this context, John McCarthy came forward to explain what the regulations say about such cases.

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One of the most important names in the development of Mixed Martial Arts as a sport, McCarthy was part of the creation of the Unified Rules of MMA, followed in most of the West. When questioned about the bizarre situation by the 'Fanáticos Del MMA GT' profile via a message on X (formerly Twitter), the former referee made a point of praising the way Herb Dean conducted the fight. After committing three infractions in the third round alone, Long lost two points and ran a serious risk of being disqualified.

“The situation with Cody Gardbrandt vomiting was brilliantly managed by Herb Dean and the NSAC ringside doctor. Cody suffered a foul and Herb called a timeout. Cody had up to five minutes to recover from the foul. A bucket was brought to Cody as he was feeling nauseous due to the foul. He used the bucket, so it was crucial that the ringside doctor, at that moment, monitor his physical activity and determine whether Cody could continue or if the fight needed to be stopped and decided by technical decision, considering that the fight was in the third round of a three-round bout,” he stated.

The Cody Gardbrandt vomiting situation was handled beautifully by @HerbDeanMMA and the NSAC Ringside Physician. Cody was fouled and a timeout was called by Herb. Cody has up to 5 minutes to recover from the foul. A bucket was brought in for Cody based upon him feeling nauseous… https://t.co/PUZCb76gP1

- Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) March 8, 2026

According to him, vomiting would have resulted in a loss for No Love if it had been the consequence of a legal strike by the Chinese fighter. However, since it was a foul, the decision to return to the fight was left to the doctor and the fighter himself.

“The ringside doctor allowed the fighter to continue, so Herb deducted a point from the fighter who committed the foul and restarted the fight. If there had been no foul and Cody had been hit by a legal blow that made him vomit, the fight would have been stopped by Herb, resulting in a technical knockout victory for Xiao,” he concluded.

Garbrandt recovered and returned to winning ways at UFC 326.

cody garbrandt in victory in UFC 326. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

Despite the injuries sustained, the former bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg) managed to leave the octagon with a unanimous decision victory, a result of the penalties received by Long. The triumph was of fundamental importance to the American's career, who had been experiencing a series of consecutive defeats to Brazilians. Deiveson Figueiredo e Raoni barcelosin addition to injuries.

😳 cody garbrandt vomit of douleur after a coup dans la coquille! pic.twitter.com/OjMpVRpt2F

— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat) March 8, 2026