John McCarthy News
John McCarthy shares his thoughts on a potential Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic matchup: “Stipe is getting older”
Susan Cox - February 8, 2022
John McCarthy weighed in on what a Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic matchup might look like. McCarthy, ‘Big John’, is a former professional MMA referee and currently a broadcaster for Bellator MMA. Co-hosting the ‘Weighing In’ podcast with former world champion Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomson the two provide listeners with forty plus years of experience and lots of insight and banter.
John McCarthy weighs in on a potential heavyweight fight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones
Susan Cox - January 25, 2022
In speaking in a recent episode of the ‘Weighing In’ podcast, John McCarthy gave his opinion on a Francis Ngannou vs Jon Jones potential fight: “Jon would have taken Ciryl down and beat him to death on the ground. Francis can knock him out, he can hit him with a shot. Ciryl can knock him out. Anyone can get knocked out. But, if you are looking at these guys fighting, (if) they fight 10 times, Jon Jones is definitely gonna win 9 out of 10 times.”
John McCarthy slams Francis Ngannou’s former coach for breaking “code” and leaking sparring footage: “Shame on you”
Harry Kettle - January 12, 2022
John McCarthy has slammed Fernand Lopez for threatening to release sparring footage between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. Later this month at UFC 270, Francis Ngannou will defend his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in one of the most highly-anticipated heavyweight bouts in years. The two men were formerly teammates under the guidance of Fernand Lopez, until Ngannou left the gym in search of pastures new.
John McCarthy says Nick Diaz is not who fans perceive him to be: “He’s not a thug. He’s very intellectual as far as what he cares about”
Harry Kettle - December 28, 2021
John McCarthy believes Nick Diaz isn’t the man that fans perceive him to be as discussion regarding his potential retirement continues. Back in September, after more than six years away from mixed martial arts, Nick Diaz returned to the UFC with a highly-anticipated rematch against Robbie Lawler. Diaz came up on the losing end and while he did have some nice moments in the first few rounds, he ultimately didn’t look like himself in there.
John McCarthy criticizes Vyacheslav Kiselev for controversial non-stoppage at UFC 267
Adam D Martin - November 3, 2021
Veteran mixed martial arts official John McCarthy criticized referee Vyacheslav Kiselev for his controversial non-stoppage at UFC 267. In one of the most prolonged beatings we have ever seen inside the Octagon, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos emptied the clip against Benoit Saint Denis over the course of a brutal 25-minute battle between the two welterweights at UFC 267. There were numerous points where the referee could have stepped in and stopped the contest, but he refused to do so, which led the fight to go the full distance. It was an incredible show of heart and toughness by Saint Denis, but he also took unnecessary punishment and damage during this bout.
Daniel Cormier and John McCarthy react to the "worst" officiating in UFC history
Chris Taylor - October 30, 2021
Daniel Cormier and John McCarthy were among several members of the MMA community to share their disgust with referee Vyacheslav Kiselev. Kiselev was the referee in charge of handling today’s UFC 267 welterweight bout between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Benoit Saint-Denis.
Daniel Cormier responds to backlash from Fedor Emelianenko comments: "I don’t understand how this ruffled so many people’s feathers"
Christopher Taylor - October 25, 2021
Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has responded after receiving a ton of backlash for his comments about Fedor Emelianenko. Prior to ‘The Last Emperor’ earning a stunning knockout over Tim Johnson at last weekend’s Bellator 268 event, Cormier had suggested that Fedor would have been “average at best” in the UFC.
John McCarthy rips Daniel Cormier for his comments on Fedor Emelianenko: 'You’re sounding like you're being a homer for the UFC'
Cole Shelton - October 25, 2021
John McCarthy has ripped Daniel Cormier over his comments about Fedor Emelianenko. The former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, Cormier, recently said on his YouTube channel that he thought had Emelianenko signed with the UFC, he would’ve been average at best. Those comments took many by surprise, including John McCarthy, who proceeded to rip ‘DC’ for for his controversial take.
John McCarthy trashes "complete dumbass" Texas MMA judge for controversial scorecard in Bobby Green fight: "Go back to class... and get the f*ck off Twitter"
Adam D Martin - August 11, 2021
Veteran MMA official John McCarthy trashed Texas MMA judge JJ Ferraro for his scoring in the Bobby Green vs. Rafael Fiziev fight at UFC 265. Although most observers saw the fight as a clear 29-28 victory for Fiziev, with him winning the first two rounds and then Green taking the third, Ferraro scored the bout 30-27 in Fiziev’s favor. The scorecard was controversial, and the judge even took the step of going to social media and explaining why he scored the fight that way. McCarthy, however, isn’t buying his explanation. Speaking on the “Weighing In” Podcast, McCarthy absolutely took judge Ferraro to school, calling him a “complete dumbass” for his scorecard and saying he needs to re-learn the scoring criteria in mixed martial arts before he judges again.
John McCarthy explains why Ciryl Gane vs. Derrick Lewis should not be for interim UFC heavyweight title
Adam D Martin - August 1, 2021
Bellator analyst John McCarthy explained why Ciryl Gane vs. Derrick Lewis should not be fighting for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 265. Gane vs. Lewis headlines UFC 265 next Saturday night at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The UFC creating an interim belt was controversial because UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou won his title back in March, so to create an interim belt just a few months later seems strange, and a lot of fans and media pushed back when it was first announced.
John McCarthy scolds referee Al Guinee for failing to notice that Jamahal Hill had dislocated his arm in UFC 263 fight with Paul Craig
Adam D Martin - June 13, 2021
John McCarthy scolded referee Al Guinee for failing to notice that Jamahal Hill had dislocated his arm in UFC 263 fight with Paul Craig. The UFC headed to Glendale, Arizona for UFC 263, and the athletic commission hired Guinee, a local referee on the regional circuit there, to handle several of the fights on the UFC 263 pay-per-view card. One of the fights that Guinee was assigned to was the Hill vs. Craig light heavyweight bout that opened up the card. However, the referee made a major blunder when he failed to notice that Hill had dislocated his arm against Craig and didn’t stop the fight immediately. He also failed to notice that Hill had indicated a tap, which led to the fighter taking far more damage than he needed to take, and McCarthy wasn’t happy.
John McCarthy criticizes ONE Championship referee who DQed Eddie Alvarez
Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021
Legendary MMA referee John McCarthy criticized the referee in ONE Championship who DQed Eddie Alvarez at ONE on TNT 1 last week. Referee Justin Brown took matters into his own hands when he handed Alvarez a red card and a DQ loss last Wednesday at ONE on TNT 1. In the fight, Alvarez took his opponent Iuri Lapicus to the ground and started to rain down punches on his face. However, his opponent slightly turned his head, which caused Alvarez to land one or two punches that might have hit his opponent in the back of the head. As his opponent was unable to continue and had to be stretchered out of the cage, the referee decided he had no choice but to DQ Alvarez.
John McCarthy shares his thoughts on the stoppages from referee Herb Dean at UFC Vegas 19
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2021
John McCarthy has assessed Herb Dean’s performance at UFC Vegas 19. In the main event of the card, Dean was the third man in the Octagon for Derrick Lewis vs Curtis Blaydes. In the early going, Dean was doing a solid job monitoring the eye pokes. Yet, as Lewis landed the KO punch, “The Black Beast” followed it up with some more shots. He said it was Herb Dean’s fault, but John McCarthy believes Dean did everything he was supposed to.
John McCarthy roasts "little clickbait b*tch" Dana White over anti-media video
Tom Taylor - December 24, 2020
Bellator MMA commentator John McCarthy was not impressed by UFC President Dana White’s recent anti-media video. 2020 has been a very successful year for White and the UFC, contrary to the strains and challenges presented by the pandemic. That being said, White’s decision to continue operating throughout this global health crisis has generated plenty of controversy, much of which was covered by the media.
John McCarthy scolds the UFC for making up "fake stats" for Khamzat Chimaev
Christopher Taylor - September 20, 2020
Legendary mixed martial arts official John McCarthy called out the UFC for making up “fake stats” about Khamzat Chimaev during last night’s UFC Vegas 11 broadcast. On the main card of yesterday’s event in Nevada, rising star Khamzat Chimaev (9-0 MMA) squared off with seasoned middleweight veteran Gerald Meerschaert. The result was another sensational stoppage win for the undefeated Swedish prospect, as he put Meerschaert out cold with a right hand just 17-seconds into the opening round.
John McCarthy weighs in on referee Herb Dean's controversial stoppage at UFC Fight Island 3
Christopher Taylor - July 26, 2020
John McCarthy has shared his thoughts on referee Herb Dean’s controversial stoppage in Saturday’s Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jai Herbert fight. The lightweight contest, which served as the featured prelim of UFC Fight Island 3, was called off shortly after Trinaldo landed a hard punch that sent Herbert crashing to the canvas.
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.