John McCarthy News
John McCarthy explains why Max Holloway was "jobbed" by the judges at UFC 251
Adam Martin - July 13, 2020
Legendary MMA official Big John McCarthy believes that Max Holloway was “jobbed” and should have won the UFC featherweight title against Alex Volkanovski. Holloway lost a narrow split decision to Volkanovski in his bid to re-capture the UFC featherweight crown that he lost to his rival Volkanovski back at UFC 245 last December. It appeared that Holloway had done enough to earn the nod, but two of the three judges scored the rematch in Volkanovski’s favor in one of the most controversial decisions of the year. Since then fight happened, UFC president Dana White, Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, and the majority of media members have come out and said they thought Holloway won.
John McCarthy explains why UFC could remove Mark Collett from Fight Island after poor judging performance
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
Long-time MMA official Big John McCarthy explained why the UFC could remove judge Mark Collett from Fight Island after a poor judging performance at UFC 251. Collett is one of the judges the UFC hired to work the Fight Island series. However, he had a very questionable night of judging that has been criticized by fans, media, and fighters. According to McCarthy on Twitter, Collett’s performance on the scorecards at UFC 251 was questionable enough that the UFC could potentially remove Collett from his role as judge.
Jon Jones not interested in responding to John McCarthy's claims regarding UFC 165 win over Alexander Gustafsson
Chris Taylor - June 26, 2020
Jon Jones has opted to take the high road after John McCarthy recently claimed that he was responsible for ‘Bones’ taking home a win at UFC 165. For those who don’t remember, ‘Bones’ had put his light heavyweight title on the line against Alexander Gustafsson in September of 2013. The result was arguably the greatest fight in the history of the light heavyweight division. After twenty-five minutes of heart-pounding action, Jon Jones was awarded the unanimous decision victory from the judges in attendance.
Referee John McCarthy claims Jon Jones "would have lost his world title if I wasn't doing his fight at UFC 165"
Christopher Taylor - June 25, 2020
Veteran mixed martial arts referee John McCarthy claims Jon Jones would have lost his world title at UFC 165 if it were not for him. Jones (26-1 MMA) squared off with Alexander Gustafsson for the first time at the September 2013 pay-per-view event in Toronto, which resulted in arguably the greatest light heavyweight contest in mixed martial arts history.
John McCarthy believes second attempt at UFC 249 will be successful
Tom Taylor - May 5, 2020
Veteran MMA referee turned Bellator commentator John McCarthy believes the UFC’s second stab at promoting UFC 249 will be a success. UFC 249 was originally expected to go down in Las Vegas on April 18. As the coronavirus crisis took hold, however, the card was briefly relocated to the Tachi Palace Casino on the same date, and ultimately canceled altogether.
John McCarthy shares thoughts on UFC 249 cancelation: "It wasn’t Dana that shut it down"
Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020
Veteran MMA referee John McCarthy believes the top dogs at Disney and ESPN asked UFC President Dana White to cancel UFC 249 because they were concerned about the optics of going ahead with the event during a public health crisis. McCarthy weighed in on the cancelation of the card, which was most recently expected to go down at the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California on April 18, on his Weighing In podcast.
MMA Judges redo scores for UFC 247 Jones vs Reyes bout in digital lesson
Natasha Hooper - April 8, 2020
MMA judges are refining their skills with the help of referee Big John McCarthy, as they rejudge the controversial UFC 247 Jones vs Reyes fight. Judges competency is a common cause of contention in the evergrowing sport. MMA professionals such as Joe Rogan and Dominick Cruz have slammed judges for inaccurate point-scoring. During UFC 247 in February 2020, Rogan accused one of the judges of not watching, and blasted their scorecards for the closely contested Jon Jones vs Dominick Reyes bout. Jones claimed the decision victory, but UFC president Dana White revealed that he scored the UFC 247 main event in favor of Reyes.
John McCarthy guarantees 'absolute loser' Jon Jones will go to jail after recent arrest
Adam Martin - March 30, 2020
Big John McCarthy said that he guarantees Jon Jones will serve jail for his recent DWI arrest and called the light heavyweight champion “an absolute loser.” The long-time MMA official was a police officer in Los Angeles before he became the most important referee in mixed martial arts history. On the latest edition of the “Weighing In” podcast, McCarthy lashed out at Jones, saying that he guarantees he will go to jail after his recent arrest for a DWI and negligent use of a firearm. He went so far as to call Jones a loser.
Top MMA podcasts to listen to during coronavirus isolation
Natasha Hooper - March 25, 2020
With the looming threat of Coronavirus causing everybody to isolate themselves, BJPENN.com has curated a list of the top MMA podcasts for you to listen to (in no particular order). Now, you can fill your brain with an unlimited stream of MMA information and keep boredom at bay.
Referee John McCarthy explains the proper way to judge an MMA bout
Adam D Martin - March 22, 2020
Legendary MMA referee Big John McCarthy recently explained the proper way to judge an MMA fight, using Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero as an example. McCarthy is the most experienced official in mixed martial arts and was instrumental in the creation of the Unified Rules of MMA and the judging criteria for the sports. Since retiring from officiating a few years ago, McCarthy currently works as a commentator for Bellator and also hosts the “Weighing In” podcast with former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson.
John McCarthy says Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero should have included 10-10 round
Adam Martin - March 9, 2020
Bellator commentator and MMA official John McCarthy believes that there should have been a 10-10 round scored in the Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero title fight at UFC 248. Adesanya won a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards to retain the UFC middleweight title in an undeniable stinker of a fight. Neither man seemed to be aggressive in the fight and it just plodded on for 25 minutes. Adesanya won the decision and gets to retain his belt, but it was not particularly impressive. Still, McCarthy agrees with Adesanya earning the decision.
John McCarthy gives his scorecard for Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Adam Martin - March 9, 2020
Bellator commentator and veteran MMA official Big John McCarthy has share his scorecard for the UFC 248 co-main event between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Zhang and Jedrzejczyk put on an instant classic on Saturday night, going the full five-round distance against each other in an all-out war. Zhang won the fight by split decision, but Jedrzejczyk saw her stock rise by putting on an incredible performance even despite losing. McCarthy, who knows a thing or two about fighting, was asked by host Josh Thomson on the “Weighing In” podcast what he thought about the fight, and he praised both women for their performances.
John McCarthy announces 2020 COMMAND Course in hopes of improving refereeing and judging in MMA
Natasha Hooper - March 2, 2020
Referee Big John McCarthy has re-launched his COMMAND Course in hopes of improving MMA refereeing and nurturing the next generation of talent. Though he is now retired from officiating, John McCarthy is widely regarded as one of the best referees in MMA. Industry experts including Joe Rogan have praised his aptitude as a ref and his dedication to the sport.
John McCarthy blasts referee for “horrendous” Ion Cutelaba vs Magomed Ankalaev decision
Natasha Hooper - March 2, 2020
Referee royalty, Big John McCarthy is less than impressed with the referee’s controversial ruling in the Ion Cutelaba vs Magomed Ankalaev bout at UFC Norfolk. Last weekend, the light heavyweight fight already got off to a strange start when Cutelaba walked across the canvas to bump into his Russian opponent. Security entered to separate the two parties, and the bad blood spilt over into the fight.
John McCarthy on Diego Sanchez following UFC Rio Rancho: "How many fights is enough fights?"
Christopher Taylor - February 17, 2020
Referee John McCarthy believes there is just “something completely different” about Diego Sanchez following last weekend’s UFC event in Rio Rancho. The UFC legend, Sanchez, picked up a disqualification victory over Michel Pereira in front of a home crowd in New Mexico Saturday night.
John McCarthy trashes UFC 247 judging: 'It was bad'
Adam Martin - February 11, 2020
Bellator commentator and veteran MMA official Big John McCarthy trashed the judging at UFC 247, saying the judges did a poor job scoring the fights. The judges were involved in a number of controversial decisions at UFC 247 which has re-ignited the debate about how to score fights in MMA and whether or not the sport needs open scoring. Among the controversial decisions were the main event between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes, the women’s flyweight bout between Lauren Murphy and Andrea Lee, and a bantamweight bout on the preliminary card between Andre Ewell and Jonathan Martinez.
John McCarthy shuts down Brendan Schaub’s claim that all the best fighters are in the UFC
Tom Taylor - January 28, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub recently claimed that all the best fighters are on the UFC roster. Unsurprisingly, this comment generated a torrent of backlash — including a retort from MMA referee turned Bellator commentator John McCarthy. Hear what McCarthy had to say about Schaub’s claim below (via Twitter):
Jimmy Smith criticizes John McCarthy for MVP vs. Anderson Silva comparisons
Adam Martin - January 9, 2020
Long-time MMA analyst Jimmy Smith criticized Bellator commentator Big John McCarthy for his recent comparison between Michael Page and Anderson Silva. McCarthy has come under scrutiny for his recent comments comparing the early careers of the two. Many fans believe that Bellator has given Page a mostly easy road so far, but McCarthy said that Page’s first 18 career bouts match up well with the first 18 fights that Silva had, despite the evidence suggesting Silva’s road was tougher. Smith saw McCarthy’s comments and said that he does not agree with him.