Referee Tim Mills claimed that Skelly was unconscious while in a d?arce choke applied by Moffett, by Skelly says that wasn?t the case at all.
?It was tight when my arm was across,? Skelly explained in a post-fight interview. ?I been there a million times. Anybody who rolls (with me) can tell you. I roll to my back there. He would?ve had to have laced my leg in order to submit me there. When I rolled to my back, I extended my arm here ? that created space, and I relaxed. All I did was relax. I was waiting for him to try to pull his legs toward my legs; I would?ve tensed up and walked right back out. When the ref came in and pulled us off, I said, ?What are you doing?? He said, ?You were out.? I said, ?I wasn?t out.? Regardless, I made my case, they watched replay, and they said what they said. I don?t want to take anything away from Bobby.?
Instant replay was used after the fight concluded, but the referee still awarded the fight to Moffett via TKO.
Skelly, talking to reporters backstage after the bout, says that the referee acknowledged the error to him after the fight.
?The ref was like, ?Uh, I?m sorry. I thought you were out.? I said, ?Yeah, you should be (expletive) sorry.? That?s half my check,? Skelly said. ?This isn?t something where I come in, and I fight, and I make my whole check regardless of what happens. If he (expletives) up, I lose half my check. That?s money for my family. That?s money for me. You know, these fight camps are expensive. Now I got to go through a whole other (expletive) fight camp, and I basically just barely paid for this one.?
The fighter also stated that he may appeal the loss to Moffett, but would also accept a rematch against Moffett. A few days after the saying he may appeal the loss, a reflective Sjelly said that no appeal would be filed if it cost Moffett a win bonus: