John McCarthy (referee)

John Michael McCarthy (born October 12, 1962) is an American former mixed martial arts referee, best known for officiating numerous bouts promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), dating back to UFC 2.[1] He co-hosts the MMA and combat sports podcast "Weighing In" with Josh Thomson.[2][3]

For other people named John McCarthy, see John McCarthy (disambiguation).
John McCarthy
McCarthy refereeing during MMA Attack 2 in Katowice, Poland
Born
John Michael McCarthy

(1962-10-12) October 12, 1962
Los Angeles, California, United States
NationalityAmerican
Other names"Big John McCarthy"
OccupationMMA referee, podcast host, MMA analyst

Biography

The nickname of "Big John" came about because of his size and stature. He stands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and weighs 260 lb (120 kg); making him larger than the majority of the athletes over whom he presides. According to a UFC interview, the nickname was given to him by UFC co-founder and promoter Art Davie. McCarthy recalls that the nickname began when he forcibly lifted Davie off the ground and held him in the air.[4]

UFC

In 2018, McCarthy retired for the second time, and moved to Bellator as a commentator.[5]

Awards
  • World MMA Awards
    • Referee of the Year (Three times; 2015, 2016 and 2017)[6][7][8]

Personal life

McCarthy has three children: sons John Michael Jr. and Ronald II (after John Sr.'s father), and daughter Britney. Ron has been an MMA judge since 2013.[9][10]

McCarthy currently resides in Tennessee.[11]

Published work

On September 1, 2011, McCarthy's autobiography, Let's Get It On - The Making of MMA and its Ultimate Referee, was published.[12][13][14][15][16]

Film and television

McCarthy also served as the referee on the MTV2 series Bully Beatdown, along with professional mixed martial artist Jason "Mayhem" Miller.[17]

McCarthy is featured in the award-winning mixed martial arts documentary Fight Life, the film is directed by James Z. Feng and released in 2013.[18]

See also

References
  1. "Refereed by John McCarthy | Tapology". tapology.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  2. "WEIGHING IN". YouTube. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  3. "WEIGHING IN". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  4. "100 fighter nickname origins". The Underground. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  5. "Fightweets: Who got the best of UFC/Bellator announcing changes?". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  6. Bryan Tucker (February 5, 2016). "World MMA Awards 2016 Results". mmafighting.com.
  7. Bryan Tucker (March 2, 2017). "World MMA Awards 2017 Results". mmafighting.com.
  8. Bryan Tucker (July 4, 2018). "World MMA Awards 2018 Results". mmafighting.com.
  9. Farah Hannoun (March 20, 2020). "John McCarthy weighs in on judges' scoring criteria, applies it to Adesanya vs. Romero". mmajunkie.com.
  10. "Ron MCCARTHY". mmadecisions.com.
  11. "Weighing in Podcast #124". Youtube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  12. Moles, Jason. "Interview: "Big" John McCarthy Talks His New Book, Dana White and Fighters Crapping Themselves". Cagepotato. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  13. "MMAmania book review: Let's Get It On! by 'Big' John McCarthy". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  14. "Wrestling - [PODCAST] 411 MMA Interviews Big John McCarthy". 411mania.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  15. "McCarthy: Refereeing 'a lot different than people think'". Usatoday30.usatoday.com. 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  16. "'Big' John McCarthy New Book on MMA History". Apocalypsemma.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  17. "MTV Original TV Shows, Reality TV Shows | MTV". mtv.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  18. "FIGHT LIFE - MMA Documentary by James Z. Feng". fightlife.tv. Archived from the original on 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
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