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Newly retired Josh Thomson opens up on future plans
This week on his Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson announced his official retirement from fighting. “I can say that I’m officially retired,” Thomson began. “I realized I was taking more shots than I should be taking,” Thomson said of his decision. “I don’t want to live that lifestyle. I don’t want to be in there and […]
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John McCarthy shuts down Brendan Schaub’s claim that all the best fighters are in the UFC
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): @BrendanSchaub made a statement on the […]
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Jimmy Smith criticizes John McCarthy for MVP vs. Anderson Silva comparisons
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 […]
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Big John McCarthy shares his take on why Dana White is against cross-promotion
Bellator color commentator and long-time MMA referee Big John McCarthy explained why he believes UFC president Dana White is against cross-promotion. Bellator recently did a cross-promotion event with RIZIN for New Year’s Eve which McCarthy was a big part of as the event’s announcer. Bellator president Scott Coker is someone who is a big fan […]
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John McCarthy explains what Khabib Nurmagomedov needs to do to beat Tony Ferguson
John McCarthy believes Tony Ferguson is going to be a tough opponent for Khabib Nurmagomedov. The two have been booked to fight each other on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York. McCarthy believes Nurmagomedov won’t be able to mentally or physically break Ferguson, so he has to adjust his gameplan. “Khabib needs to fight a […]
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John McCarthy says Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal should not have been stopped by doctor
Veteran MMA referee and Bellator color commentator John McCarthy believes the UFC 244 main event between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal was stopped too soon by the doctor. Speaking on the ‘Weighing In’ podcast, McCarthy was asked by host Josh Thomson what he thought about the controversial doctor stoppage at UFC 244. This is what […]
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John McCarthy doesn’t blame Greg Hardy for inhaler incident
Legendary referee John McCarthy is weighing in on “Inhalergate” following the overturning of Greg Hardy’s unanimous decision win at UFC Boston. At Friday night’s event at the TD Garden, Hardy went the distance for the very first time in his MMA career as he picked up a victory over the debuting Ben Sosoli. As interesting […]
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John McCarthy responds to Ariel Helwani
John McCarthy and Ariel Helwani got at each other on social media after the recent 30 for 30 documentary featuring Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell aired. There, McCarthy tweeted at Helwani saying he is wrong for saying Zuffa ran towards regulation. Now, in a long rant on his ‘Weighing In’ show with Josh Thomson, McCarthy […]
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John McCarthy and Ariel Helwani get in heated debate on Twitter
Bellator broadcaster and former referee John McCarthy recently had a heated exchange with ESPN journalist Ariel Helwani on social media. McCarthy and Helwani are both considered to be well-known figures within the world of mixed martial arts and have been for years now, and as such, many fans hold a lot of value in their […]
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Veteran referee John McCarthy gives take on Jessica Andrade KO
On Saturday night, in the main event of UFC 237, Jessica Andrade claimed the UFC flyweight title by knocking out the champion Rose Namajunas with a brutal slam. Unfortunately, the knockout generated some controversy, as some fans felt the slam was illegal. Speaking on Twitter in the wake of UFC 237, veteran MMA referee “Big” […]
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UFC 235 | John McCarthy gives his take on Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler controversy
On Saturday night, on the main card of UFC 235, former ONE Championship and Bellator titleholder Ben Askren finally made his UFC debut, taking on the extremely dangerous Robbie Lawler. Although Askren very nearly found himself on the receiving end of a first-round TKO, he ultimately weathered this early storm from Lawler and submitted the […]
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Bellator commentator John McCarthy rips UFC’s “stupid” Reebok uniforms on-air
The UFC’s outfitting deal with sports apparel giant Reebok is frequently criticized by fans, fighters, and pundits alike. Not only does this deal deprive fighters of the chance to pursue more lucrative sponsorship deals for themselves, it also deprives them have the chance to dress up during their walkouts and set themselves apart from their […]
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Veteran MMA referee John McCarthy addresses Tyson Fury 10 count controversy
Resurgent Brit Tyson Fury put forth a masterful performance in his Saturday night WBC heavyweight title fight with champion Deontay Wilder. Unfortunately, the bout was not without controversy. In the 12th round of the fight — which was ultimately ruled a draw — Tyson Fury was knocked senseless by a crushing Deontay Wilder combination. Miraculously, […]
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VIDEO | Is this the worst MMA referee of all time?
WTF Ref! pic.twitter.com/UMdFkCPlhn — Bruno Massami (Бруно Массами) (@BrMassami) August 20, 2018 Want to see some really bad MMA officiating? Like really, really bad? Watch the video above. This baffling referee disaster occurred at Daredevil Fight 13 inside the Ginasio Duduzao in Bauru, Brazil on Saturday night (h/t Dario Ferrari). In the fight, we can see one […]
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“Big” John McCarthy challenges fans who think the best fighters are all in the UFC
Veteran referee “Big” John McCarthy, who now works as a commentator for Bellator MMA, is adamant that there are plenty of world-class fighters outside of the UFC roster. McCarthy got into it with fans on Twitter, praising the depth of the Bellator roster, and assuring that the UFC was not the only home for top […]
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VIDEO | ‘Big’ John McCarthy puts blame on commentators for rule and judging controversies
“The commentators, especially the UFC post-fight or pre-fight people…they’re putting information out that’s not true. And that hurts the fans in understanding what the judges are utilizing to score that round. The problem is this…something happens in a fight and a referee does something and it’s wrong. But Frank [Mir] or whoever or me says, […]
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“Big” John McCarthy gives his take on Darren Till vs. Stephen Thompson scoring
Last weekend, in the main event of the UFC’s debut in Liverpool, hometown hero Darren Till picked up the biggest win of his career, defeating two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson by decision. Not everybody, however, agreed with this result. Shortly after the judges’ verdict was read, there was an outpouring of criticism suggesting that […]
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Veteran referee “Big” John McCarthy gives his take on Raquel Pennington corner controversy
On Saturday night, in the main event of the action-packed UFC 224 card in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Raquel Pennington came up short in a women’s bantamweight title fight with champ Amanda Nunes, succumbing to a volley of fifth-round strikes. Unfortunately, Pennington’s title bid was also steeped in controversy, as her corner seemed to force […]
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John McCarthy gives his take on strange Merab Dvalishvili vs. Ricky Simon fight: “he went out twice”
On the undercard of Saturday night’s exciting UFC Atlantic City card, Merab Dvalishvili and hist short-notice replacement opponent Rick Simon engaged in an exciting, three-round war. Unfortunately, the end of this contest was shadowed in controversy. As the seconds wore off the clock, Simon, who seemed to be down two rounds, locked up a mounted guillotine. […]
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John McCarthy thinks he knows why Jon Jones failed drug tests
Veteran MMA referee and current Bellator commentator “Big” John McCarthy is becoming one of the most respected voices in MMA. As such, his opinions on the sport’s hot-button issues are always interesting to hear. On a recent episode of MMAJunkie Radio, the veteran referee tackled the issue of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’s […]
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Veteran referee John McCarthy weighs in on Hector Lombard DQ
Last weekend, on the undercard of UFC 222, former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard made his latest return to the UFC’s Octagon, this time opposite TUF veteran CB Dollaway. Regrettably, this fight ended in controversy, as Lombard put Dollaway down with a volley of punches that occurred split seconds after the first round ended. He […]
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John McCarthy opens up on Bellator commentary gig, future as a referee
Yesterday afternoon, we learned that veteran MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy had joined the Bellator MMA family as a member of the promotion’s broadcast team. Initially, it sounded as though McCarthy’s broadcast duties signalled the end of his career as a referee, but apparently that’s not the case. He still plans to work as an […]
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Bellator announces legendary addition to their broadcasting team
Earlier this month, news surfaced that Bellator MMA had parted ways with long-time color commentator Jimmy Smith. They’ve already filled the void Smith left behind, and with a pretty surprising name: Big John McCarthy, legendary mixed martial arts referee. The promotion announced this interesting addition to their broadcast team in a Tuesday afternoon press release. McCarthy […]
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Referee Big John McCarthy responds to Daniel Cormier’s post-fight statement
Last Saturday, Daniel Cormier’s reign as UFC light heavyweight champion came to a crashing halt, as he was put down by a third-round head-kick dealt by his rival Jon Jones. Some 24 hours later, Cormier released a statement on his Instagram account, during which he congratulated Jones, and apologized to referee John McCarthy for initially […]
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Referee Big John McCarthy gives his take on Kevin Lee vs. Michael Chiesa stoppage controversy
Last night, in the main event of the UFC’s anticipated trip to Oklahoma City, Michael Chiesa lost by submission to “The MoTown Phenom” Kevin Lee. The unfortunate thing is that, while Lee’s rear-naked choke was deep, Chiesa never actually tapped out or lost consciousness. Instead, referee Mario Yamasaki misread the situation, and stopped the fight […]
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Referee John McCarthy says differing rules of athletic commissions is “not fair to the fighters”
When the UFC travels across the united states – and further afield – the rules its athletes compete under can change depending on the rules of the athletic commission that is overseeing the fight. According to veteran referee Big John McCarthy, this is a real problem, and at the end of the day, an inconsistency […]
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VIDEO | Tito Ortiz says he had a WWE moment and nearly took ‘Big’ John McCarthy out
https://youtu.be/lzGu5VrJN34 Tito Ortiz left his gloves in the cage following his first round submission over Chael Sonnen in the main event at Bellator 170 over the weekend. Following a the last fight of his legendary career, Ortiz took to social media where he did a live Q&A and answered various questions from fans. A fan […]
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Referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy says he had to hurt Tito Ortiz to get him to let go of submission on Chael Sonnen
The main event of Bellator 170 had Chael Sonnen coming out of retirement to take on Tito Ortiz for “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s” last fight of his career. It was a fairytale ending for Ortiz, as the UFC Hall of Fame legend and pioneer of the sport finished Sonnen in the first round with […]