John McCarthy News
John McCarthy explains why he “did not agree” with the Derrick Lewis - Sergei Pavlovich stoppage at UFC 277: “It’s not like these are new, young guys”
Susan Cox - August 3, 2022
John McCarthy is explaining why he ‘did not agree’ with the Derrick Lewis vs Sergei Pavlovich stoppage at UFC 277. It was Derrick Lewis (26-10 MMA) vs Sergei Pavlovich (16-1 MMA) in a heavyweight bout last Saturday night, July 30th. It was just 55 seconds into the 1st round where Pavlovich finished Lewis to win the match. Pavlovich handed his opponent a barrage of shots and Lewis eventually fell to the canvas wherein referee Dan Miragliotta quickly jumped in to stop the fight.
John McCarthy clarified his previous remarks about Nick Diaz lighting up Kamaru Usman
Harry Kettle - June 7, 2022
MMA analyst John McCarthy has clarified his previous comments regarding a match-up between Nick Diaz and Kamaru Usman. Over the course of the last few decades, ‘Big’ John McCarthy has served as one of the most recognisable faces in all of mixed martial arts. He spent many years as a referee, most notably under the UFC umbrella, and was therefore part of many iconic moments throughout the history of the sport.
Chase Hooper scolds John McCarthy for suggesting Kamaru Usman would get “lit up” by Nick Diaz: “Probably one of the worst MMA takes I’ve seen”
Susan Cox - May 31, 2022
Chase Hopper has scolded John McCarthy for suggesting Kamaru Usman would get ‘lit up’ by Nick Diaz. During a recent interview with ‘TMZ’, Nick Diaz (26-10 MMA) indicated he’s targeting an end-of-year return and he’d like to challenge Kamaru Usman (20-1 MMA) for the title.
John McCarthy says he “wouldn’t mind” seeing Nick Diaz fight for a title next: “That doesn’t mean that I am talking about the welterweight title”
Susan Cox - May 31, 2022
John McCarthy expressed his thoughts on seeing Nick Diaz get a title fight next. McCarthy, 59, the former legendary UFC referee, during a ‘Weighing In’ podcast with Josh Thomson, discussed what he believes should be next for Nick Diaz.
John McCarthy believes poor corner advice is partially to blame for the performance of Rose Namajunas at UFC 274
Susan Cox - May 10, 2022
John McCarthy is weighing in on the performance of Rose Namajunas this past Saturday night at UFC 274, believing poor corner advise is partially to blame for the loss. It was Rose Namajunas (12-5 MMA) vs Carla Esparza (20-6 MMA) in the strawweight co-main event. Carla was to be the victor by split decision, stripping the title from Rose. While anticipation leading up to the fight was great, the outcome proved to be so lacklustre that some media reports are saying it just might have been the worst UFC title fight in history.
John McCarthy says he went back and watched Yan vs. Sterling 2 as a judge: “It’s razor close. It could have gone either way”
Susan Cox - April 18, 2022
It seems that John McCarthy is walking back comments he previously made concerning the Yan vs Sterling 2 battle that occurred at UFC 273 on April 9th of this year. It was Aljamain Sterling (21-3 MMA) vs Petr Yan (16-3 MMA) at the co-main event bout where the UFC bantamweight champion kept his belt by defeating Yan in a split decision victory (48-47 48-47,47-48).
John McCarthy responds to Aljamain Sterling's recent comments: "Name calling? Champions are above that"
Josh Evanoff - April 14, 2022
‘Big’ John McCarthy has responded to Aljamain Sterling throwing shade at him on Twitter. Last Saturday night, ‘Funk Master’ faced off against Petr Yan for the second time. 13 months after their first encounter ended in a disqualification, Sterling captured his second victory over Yan via split-decision. The win didn’t come without controversy, as many thought ‘Mercy’ should’ve won the bout.
Aljamain Sterling claps back at John McCarthy for suggesting there is “no way” he won Round 1 against Petr Yan
Susan Cox - April 13, 2022
The UFC 273 co-main event between Aljamain Sterling (21-3 MMA) and Petr Yan (16-3 MMA) took place this past weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. It was Sterling who succeeded in defending his bantamweight belt by defeating Yan with a split decision victory. John McCarthy, a retired referee who currently hosts the MMA and combat sports podcast ‘Weighing In’ with Josh Thomson, recently spoke about Sterling’s fight saying:
John McCarthy and Josh Thomson discuss how PRIDE tried to sway the odds in favor of their favorite sons
Susan Cox - April 1, 2022
John McCarthy and Josh Thomson discussed how PRIDE tried to sway the odds in favor of their favorite sons. PRIDE Fighting Championships began as a Japanese MMA promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Arguably PRIDE was the most popular MMA promotion during the early 2000’s. PRIDE over the years, held more than sixty mixed martial arts events, broadcast to an estimated 40 countries worldwide.
John McCarthy weighs in on Colby Covington: “He’s never going to be an exciting fighter”
Susan Cox - March 9, 2022
John McCarthy has shared his on his thoughts on former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington. McCarthy, 59, is a former MMA referee and current broadcaster for Bellator MMA. Arguably best known for officiating numerous bouts in the UFC.
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 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 says Jose Aldo is 'that guy' and he could beat Aljamain Sterling
Andrew Whitelaw - December 22, 2021
John McCarthy has lauded Jose Aldo and believes that the Brazilian could beat the current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Aldo has looked revitalised recently. The former featherweight champ has put together an impressive run of three straight victories including a unanimous decision win against Rob Font earlier this month.
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.
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.
Veteran referee John McCarthy shares his take on Saturday’s ‘Holland vs. Daukaus’ no-contest ruling at UFC Vegas 38
Adam D Martin - October 3, 2021
Veteran MMA referee John McCarthy shared his take on Saturday’s ‘Holland vs. Daukaus’ controversial no-contest ruling at UFC Vegas 38. Holland and Daukaus clashed heads in the first round in their middleweight bout at UFC Vegas 38, which led to Holland being knocked down to the floor. However, he immediately woke back up, and referee Dan Miragliotta did not stop the fight. A minute later, Daukaus choked Holland out with a rear-naked choke. It appeared as though Daukaus would get the win, but after using instant replay, the referee determined that the clash of heads was what led to the finish, and the referee ultimately decided to rule the bout a No Contest.