John McCarthy believes current UFC seating arrangement causes issues for judges: “You want better scores, change it”

By Harry Kettle - December 15, 2022

John McCarthy believes the UFC seating arrangement is what causes issues for judges when scoring fights for the promotion.

Big John McCarthy, Ariel Helwani, , Robbie Lawler, Ben Askren, Greg Hardy, Alistair Overeem

Over the course of the last few weeks, months and years, judging has been a big issue in mixed martial arts. Some think the problem is exaggerated whereas others want it to be addressed immediately.

Someone who has seen a lot of development in this area is none other than John McCarthy. The referee-turned-commentator knows the game better than most, and he’s been present for some of the most important scorecards of all time.

In the wake of the controversies at UFC 282, McCarthy gave his thoughts on a specific part of the debate.

“Take a look at the UFC. the cage and the way that they situated because they’re the ones that decide where the judges sit. You have two cage doors on the octagon. The judges sit in those two spots are two of the judges’ chairs. Which means that you’re looking through a gate which has extra poles and you’re looking through more poles that are up and down.”

McCarthy makes his case

“It’s not easy to see things and then you’ve got the referee moving in front of you at times. You give one judge a good seat. One, that’s where you see the ring card girl sitting, there’s one judge sitting there. That judge has a good clear view. Other than that, the other two judges get s*** seats. You want better scores, change it. Because you should.”

Quotes via Sportskeeda

McCarthy currently works for Bellator alongside his work as an analyst.

Do you agree with John McCarthy? What else should the Ultimate Figthing Championship do to try and rectify the issues with judging? Let us know your thoughts on this down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!


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