There are some people who just want to create controversy, longtime MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy said about those who called a fix in the headliner of this past Saturday’s Bellator 170.

McCarthy, who refereed the controversial fight between Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnnen, wishes he could set them straight – even though they probably wouldn’t like his method.

“What I would love if I could do it is take people that say that’s a fix (and say), ‘Good, I’m going to put you in that hold that he was in, and I want you to feel it. I want you to see how strong Tito Ortiz really is. I want you to feel the pressure that Chael was under.’ You could see even on the screen how purple his face was starting to get.

“That choke was not what we’d say is a perfect choke. It’s not. It’s on one side of his neck. But trust me, on one side, you start to shut down that one carotid artery, it will put him out. It will just take a lot longer.”

Sonnen (29-15-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) wasn’t entirely sure about the exact classification of the submission hold at the post-fight news conference. But he told MMAjunkie he believed he was caught in a rear-naked choke that “sucked,” responding to online critics who immediately questioned the legitimacy of the finish.

“The choke I was caught in? Yeah, that was tight,” he said.

The submission brought an end to Sonnen’s grudge match with the retiring Ortiz (19-12-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Bellator 170 peaked at 1.85 million viewers for the fight on Spike, according to numbers released by the cable network and promotion.

The bad blood prompted McCarthy to physically intervene when Ortiz held the choke after Sonnen tapped. The veteran referee said he inserted his thumb into Ortiz’s trachea to force a stop.

“I don’t want to hurt Tito, but if you’re not listening and you’re trying to hurt Chael, my job is to protect Chael,” he said. “If you want to be dumb, then you’re going to end up feeling something that’s not comfortable.”

Ortiz admitted afterward he bent the rules in response to Sonnen’s pre-fight trash talk, which didn’t surprise McCarthy.

“I think that was 21st fight I’ve done with Tito Ortiz,” he said. “I’ve known Tito since he was a teenager. Tito is a great guy. Now, he does get emotional. He’s the one that really came up (and he) started doing that trash talk, and he has his rules for trash talk. But they’re his rules, and no one else has to follow his rules.

“Chanel’s got his own thing. And now, Chael’s said some things at times that I go, ‘Yeah, you just don’t do that.’ But that’s Chael, and Chael’s going to say those things.

“If you’re smart, Chael is selling the fight. He’s making people look and say, ‘We’ve got heat.’ He keeps on saying things to get under the skin of Tito and to make it look like they have this thing. But in the end, the best part of fighting is, OK you’ve said all these things, but there’s going to be the day that comes up where I get to punch you in the middle of the face for all those things you said.”

In the case of Ortiz and Sonnen, face-punching quickly segued to grappling. Sonnen threatened Ortiz with a choke, and Ortiz countered with his own, getting a tapout in the process.

It wasn’t a long skirmish, and many questioned Sonnen’s technique and heart when he signaled he wanted out. Of the former, McCarthy said the three-time title challenger made a mistake that allowed Ortiz to capitalize. Of the latter, he doesn’t have a position.

But when it comes to the fight’s legitimacy, he said any suggestions it wasn’t on the up and up deserve a live demonstration.

For more on Bellator 170, check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.

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