Unpopular opinion: John McCarthy is overrated

[Moral Victory]

Not wanting to hate on the guy, especially as he's retired, but he's praised by so many, I'm guessing since he's been in the game for so long, but imo that man carries too much ego with him in the cage.

And seeing the old fights before Zuffa, he was kind of bad at refereeing, of course now referees have access to more training, but he has had so many years of experience and didn't show an amount of knowledge that I'd expect from it.

In the end, he was an okay ref.

What do you think?

Also in this one some people say that he wasn't allowed to stop a fight, but he did stop fights on the same card so I'm not sure about that.

 

[Sonny Qc]

I think we can all agree on that?

 

[RiseAboveHat]

As a pioneer of the game, he should be respected for working out the unified rules, even if they need some work

But as a ref? He was okay, nothing special. His catchphrase got more pop then he did

 

[Substance Abuse]

I think we can all agree on that?

Yes. 100%.

Quite possibly the worst MMA commentator as well.

 

[loisestrad]

Unpopular opinion: Most popular opinions are unpopular.

 

[Otto!]

I give him credit for his work on defining MMA rules. I saw him as a good ref, but to me he didn't stand out as a great one.

 

[BluntForceTrama]

i dont think about him too much OP

 

[Carrotman23]

Very popular opinion actually but by all means a correct one. His career outside of reffing is obnoxious too and is the main reason why most people don't like him. They're just tired of hearing from him lol.
Respect for what he did for the unified rules and all I just wish he'd go away.

 

[Luvhawky]

It’s weird judging pioneers with a modern lens. He helped create structure around the rules of the sport and played a role in the foundation of the sport we watch today. People like that don’t get to master their craft. Generally the best of anything aren’t the pioneers.

 

[Paolo Delutis]

He literally helped form the rules the refs follow today....

SMH

Obligatory:

You ready...you ready...lets get it on!!!..come on

 

[Fioretti]

He deserves his credit for what he's done. Reffing isn't an easy job, kids, and everyone makes mistakes. I think Big John gets an equal amount of praise and criticism, as most do. Is normal.

 

[Taric]

He literally helped create the rules for MMA, and to this day is still instrumental in attempting to improve upon those rules.

 

[Kryptt]

Hate his commentary - Fond of his breakdowns - IMO he was one of the best (to Ref).

 

[Luthien]

He did the best that he could

 

[Syrus Bunns III]

Listen, just because a chef came up with a recipe, doesn't mean he's the best chef to cook your meal. Got it?

 

[prikoke]

Decent ref, bad whenever he opens his mouth. Never liked his macho opening line either, seemed he was trying too hard to sound badass.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

The thing with John is when he came in there was no blue print and the rules were very unknown and sketchy.. it was not clear. The new refs never had that issue.

 

[Sweater of AV]

Putting aside what he put into sport, he was an extremely good ref. Think of how many fights he was a referee for and how difficult it was in the early days. He deserves a lot of respect. Hell, just compare him to what is around today.

As for his commenting, it's not great but I don't mind it when compared to some others commentating these days. I'll take Big John over Cruz, Bisping, DC etc.

 

[pseto223]

I wouldn't blame Big John in the early times, he was one of the guys making up the rules (as he never forgets to tell us every time he speaks). I'd say that he faded hard towards the end of his UFC spell. He was no better than Yamasaki and Mazegatti.

I think refs just fade like athletes do. Although their job is not gruelling physically, after a certain number of fights they start making huge lapses of judgement. Herb Dean is a prime example, by the time Big John faded hard I thought Herb was the best ref, he was making some mistakes every now and then. But in the last 5-6 years he is all over the place. And getting worse by the year. I don't know why that is, seems logical that with more experience a ref should be better, but it looks like it happens in the opposite manner. Do refs get too comfortable and make bad calls, do they burn out at some moment or what?

 

[Fergelmince]

Not wanting to hate on the guy, especially as he's retired, but he's praised by so many, I'm guessing since he's been in the game for so long, but imo that man carries too much ego with him in the cage.

And seeing the old fights before Zuffa, he was kind of bad at refereeing, of course now referees have access to more training, but he has had so many years of experience and didn't show an amount of knowledge that I'd expect from it.

In the end, he was an okay ref.

What do you think?

Also in this one some people say that he wasn't allowed to stop a fight, but he did stop fights on the same card so I'm not sure about that.

Agreed. Many people talk like all things regarding MMA rules end with him. But I've heard him contradict the rules he apparently helped write, on more than one occasion. He didn't end every fight/finish perfectly, and his analysis isn't that great.