I absolutely cannot stand Big John McCarthy

[exHeavyHippie]

His tough guy ref bullshit rubs me the wrong way, and can get borderline disrespectful. He the only ref that does this, and acts like he dealing with suspects instead of professional athletes......just don't like the man

I wonder where he learn his tactics....

 

[epoch]

He is a good ref though. When has he had any really bad stops?

Any ref who has been in the game long enough has bad stoppages. I wouldn't make my main point of defense that he's a perfect ref, because he isn't. No ref is.

 

[Codpiece]

Keith Peterson is pretty damned consistent. And the fact that no one talks a lot about him likely means he's doing his job better than most.

Peterson is also a really good call.

 

[PokerMage]

Big John has always been arrogant and way over rated.

unfortunately the old boys club makes it so hard for new refs to get the needed to work in to make it to some of the bigger shows.

one of the worst stand-ups last year was in round 3 of Mir vs AA in a 19-19 fight you stand them up after 15sec cause AA is holding on for dear life.

but get Josh Neer in there and Mcarthy is spouting off, get up on your own im not helping you. acting like a control freak who always has to make himself part of the fight.

 

[Sherm]

If you watch the first 10 or so UFC's, he almost could have gotten someone killed. He had no idea what he was doing.

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

I don't like him for KOing Aldo

Lmao. Damn, Jose really did look like he was coming back to life and then went stiff as a board once BJM kneed him.

This is why weight classes exist. Supposed P4P king at one point KOed by an out of shape old man.

 

[eiyuu]

He is a good ref though. When has he had any really bad stops?

Only one I can think of was when Matt Lindland pulled that quick tap BS against Murilo Bustamante. More Lindland's fault than his though.

 

[ThulsaDooom]

Make sure to sit on a cushion for all of that butthurt, op.

 

[muaytao]

Big John was an LAPD cop in the late 80's and in the 90's and was training BJJ before anyone knew what it was. He has seen some serious shit and is a legit tough dude. He is a good ref because he's not intimidated or starstruck by any fighters.

Explains the tough guy attitude

 

[Hendong]

His tough guy ref bullshit rubs me the wrong way, and can get borderline disrespectful. He the only ref that does this, and acts like he dealing with suspects instead of professional athletes......just don't like the man

Well he is a former police officer, and police officers are notorious dicks

 

[Po]

He is a good ref though. When has he had any really bad stops?

He stood Marquardt up too early when he was in Silva's guard. Nate got ko'ed a few moments later.
I guess that's nitpicking. BJM is a great ref.

 

[Tom Taylor]

Yeah I'm not a fan either. People were comparing Goddard to McCarthy in the Marlon Vera fight, but Goddard legit had reasons to be a dick.

Even still, I think Goddard's response was excessive. I know Vera was abusing the rules, but I feel like Goddard needed to take a Xanax. He was way too fired up. It's important to talk to the fighters like people, not disobedient dogs.

I agree with TS's BJM sentiment. I know refs need to maintain order and control over the fighters, but he can get pretty sassy at times. I think in his case it's just because he's been at it forever. The lustre of the job has probably worn off so he has like zero patience for nonsense.

Edit: I will add that despite his impatience, BJM is a great ref and Goddard usually does a good job too.

 

[papajohns]

He treats some fighters like kids in there.

 

[RawHawg]

What happened to the good old days when he would smile and give Tank Abbott a nice slap on the butt after a win?

 

[Defeat Unknown]

I love Big John. In fact, I like all the refs. It's a thankless job and no matter what they do they have fans shitting on them. It's a tough job to call a fight live.

When you come on here after a fight, after having seen the replays with the commentary and even with gifs posted all over the board, there are people who still can't agree on what a call should have been. These refs do it live, on the spot. I have a great deal of respect for them.

 

[Montecristo]

Big John is the best judge there is in this shit, is the longest carrer and the least mistakes

 

[deviake]

Refs need to be stern with the fighters. As we've seen, some of the fighters try to pull shenanigans.

 

[Ninja]

Big John was an LAPD cop in the late 80's and in the 90's and was training BJJ before anyone knew what it was. He has seen some serious shit and is a legit tough dude. He is a good ref because he's not intimidated or starstruck by any fighters.

Big John has a big ego and it appears he thinks the fight is about him at times ....


Big John has made plenty of mistakes including the biggest against Sakuraba @ UFC Japan in the late 90's.


It's strange because John started out pretty shitty IMO ....then around 2005-2008 he was really good and was looking at things clearly, I believe this is also around the time he was having some disputes with the UFC.

John was blackballed by the UFC for a few years 2008-2013? During this time he was still reffing in Affliction, Strikeforce, EliteXC ect and was doing a great job.

But it wasn't till he made to his return to the UFC that his personality changed and he started like he had some serious power he needed to enforce ...

He's been there since the early days but that doesn't make him a great referee.....he's good ...not the best IMO.


I'd give that title to the likes of Marc Goddard - Josh Rothenthall? ....and a few others.



Yamasucki needs to be fired, Herb Dean needs to be investigated, Mirgliotti is a big ol meat head but I feel he's trying his best so I give him a pass.

 

[Jacob Carter]

While he played a significant role in the emerging UFC and unified rules, he acts as though he thinks he's more important than he actually is.

 

[burningspear]

At least he's consistent.

Someone is going to die while Herb is reffing

Hell yeah, Herb is a liability.