Being in the cage as a fighter is one thing, but having to be the third man in the cage with two guys intent on ripping each other’s heads off is a completely different thing altogether.
UFC veteran referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy has been in the game since the beginning, and when fans think ‘MMA referee’, he’s usually the guy that comes to mind.
He is the most senior referee in the UFC and widely popularized his war call of “Let’s get it on!” which is a familiar battlecry before the beginning of bouts. He made his UFC officiating debut back at the very second show in 1994 and has since then gone on to officiate multiple contests in the sport’s history.
Aside from the UFC, McCarthy has also officiated for K-1 (Japan), Strikeforce, Affliction, Bellator, King of the Cage, and many others.
A man of many talents, McCarthy once desired to compete inside the Octagon, but longtime mentor and Brazilian jiu jitsu Kru Rorion Gracie advised against it. Given his background in law enforcement however, McCarthy fit the role of referee perfectly.
Here are Five Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Big John McCarthy:
#5 He Once Retired From Refereeing to Try His Hand at Commentary
Towards the end of 2007, McCarthy left his life as a mixed martial arts referee to pursue a career as a commentator for The Fight Network, of which he also provided commentary for Affliction. It didn’t last long however, and he was back in the cage in early 2008.
Guess not everybody can be the guy who looks sharp in a suit and talks about fighting all day long. Props to McCarthy for trying though. Being a commentator is certainly a lot easier than having to be the guy inside the cage with those monsters.
Then again, there’s a reason why he’s called ‘Big John.’ Not everybody has the ability to be in the cage with the world’s most skilled hand-to-hand combatants.
