‘Big’ John McCarthy shares hilarious story of officiating one of Nick Diaz’s early UFC fights: “Hey B****! C’mon B****!”

Longtime MMA referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy’s attempts to get a young Nick Diaz to tone it down proved futile at UFC 51.

Diaz is one of the most beloved fighters in UFC history after a long, successful run inside the Octagon. The Stockton standout defeated the likes of BJ Penn, Paul Daley, and Frank Shamrock during his promotional tenure.

Nick and his younger brother, Nate Diaz, are two of the most notorious trash talkers in UFC history. While both of them don’t have a substantial history of pre-fight verbal jabs, they’re often in their element when they’re talking trash and throwing ‘Stockton slaps’ simultaneously.

McCarthy, who has officiated some of the biggest moments in UFC history, oversaw many of Diaz’s notable UFC fights. One in particular, at UFC 51, stands near the top of his memory.

‘Big’ John McCarthy recounts Nick Diaz’s in-fight vulgarity

In a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy shared a hilarious story from one of Diaz’s signature performances at UFC 51.

“I had a fight with Nick Diaz and Drew Fickett. And one of the rules of the unified rules is abusive language, you can’t use abusive language. Well, you know Nick [Diaz],” McCarthy began. “I had some great [fights] with Frank Shamrock against Nick [Diaz]. I went into the locker room with him and I said ‘Look, you know what? You’re gonna say s***, and he’s gonna say s***. As long as I’m the only one who hears that s***, I don’t give a damn. Do you understand me? If it starts to get outside with other people hearing it, then it’s gonna become a problem, it’s going to be my problem, and we’ll have to deal with it. So don’t do it!’…

“Nick Diaz fought Drew Fickett and I’m [officiating], and he’s calling Drew ‘C’mon you f***ing b****! Hey b****! C’mon b****!’. And I’m going ‘Nick, keep it down’. And he goes ‘He’s a b****! C’mon John, he’s a b****’!…you gotta look at some things and say how much of an effect is it having during a fight? How much of a detriment is it in a fight?”

Diaz’s verbal jabs led to a physical beatdown as he defeated Drew Fickett by first-round TKO at UFC 51.

Diaz hasn’t fought since a TKO loss to UFC Hall of Famer Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. He’s hinted at a combat sports comeback in 2024, but as of this writing, nothing has come to fruition.

Diaz was supposed to face former UFC rival Georges St-Pierre in a grappling match in December before St-Pierre withdrew due to injury. It’s uncertain if the matchup will be rebooked.

UFC fans, pundits, and analysts like McCarthy have countless memories of Diaz’s career. His performance at UFC 51 encapsulates everything that has made Diaz a legend in MMA history.