Unpopular opinion: John McCarthy is overrated

[StonedLemur]

He's still top 3 best refs, I don't care about his commentary gig.

He's better than Herb, better than Goddard.

 

[SaltedVinegarfootstomps]

Terrible commentator. But we really got to see Big Jon evolve and progress (and even regress) during his tenured career as a ref. There were PLENTY of bad stoppages, mind you, but when he WAS on form he brought an element of excitement to big fights and never seemed out of his depth. Of all the refs, he might have been the best at stopping the attempted takedowns of flash KOd fighters and helping them recover without embarrassment. I recall him having a good eye for intervention with subs as well, but he blatantly played favorites with certain fighters and he too fell prey to that thankfully brief period where fighters were stood up from the ground despite active work ALL THE TIME. Jon may have stood someone up as they secured a north south position, now that I dwell on it. He definitely experienced a sharp decline in his skill as a ref, but I’m assuming this occurred as he stepped out of a professional mindset and into that of a celebrity. His career is very interesting juxtaposed against someone like Frank Trigg, who took to refereeing after a bombastic and cocksure run in MMA that saw mixed success, and has now, rather quietly, put together a solid second career where he avoids the spotlight. Our dear Jon can’t help himself in this regard, he needs the light now.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

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.

That's what refs are supposed to do. Not stand out. They only stand out when there is a fuck up. He got more respect in the cage then anyone else. I can't think of any early/late stoppages that was his fault.

 

[Elvis.]

I don’t like how he’s constantly yelling “ come on let’s work “ at the professional fighters

 

[Athlas]

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

That ain't his catch phrase, he stole it from Mills Lane..

 

[El Fernas]

Is that an unpopular opinion tho? He usuallly gets hate around this parts, wether is him imposing over fighters while as a ref, or as the worst commentator ever.

 

[JohnnyDragon]

Compared to Herb Dean he's pretty damn amazing

 

[Otto!]

That's what refs are supposed to do. Not stand out. They only stand out when there is a fuck up. He got more respect in the cage then anyone else. I can't think of any early/late stoppages that was his fault.

I didn’t mean stand out this way. I meant standing out as being more consistent than others.

 

[jsbx45]

Great ref. They all have famous fuck-ups at some point. It's a tough, thankless job. Can't speak to his commentary much because I Seldom watch Bellator or whoever he's working for.

 

[qw3rty]

I don't think he is overrated, he is a pioneer at refereeing
Just like Herb Dean is a pioneer in taking bribes

 

[Rambo89]

My problem with him as a ref was that he got way too involved in fights. Ref's are really supposed to be in the background unless they absolutely need to get involved. He was always talking to the fighters during the fight. I would've hated having him for a ref in one of my fights.

 

[JustBleed69]

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.

I think he was a pretty decent ref in his time, but I don't like his personality at all.

 

[M.U.S.C.L.E.]

That ain't his catch phrase, he stole it from Mills Lane..

Who stole it from Marvin Gaye.

 

[thelovacluka]

It's unpopular because it's not true

 

[Athlas]

Who stole it from Marvin Gaye.

Mills Lane refed his first world championship bout in 1971. Marvin Gaye debuted "let's get it on" in 1973.

 

[Poirierfan]

At least he was a better ref than an commentator.

 

[Poirierfan]

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

Listen, I think you should change your name to Mr Listen.

 

[Syrus Bunns III]

Listen, I think you should change your name to Mr Listen.

Listen, I had a whole bunch of screen names on deck but I couldn't remember any of them. So I just used my God given name

 

[M.U.S.C.L.E.]

Mills Lane refed his first world championship bout in 1971. Marvin Gaye debuted "let's get it on" in 1973.

Prior to Marvin Gaye, Mills Lane's catch phrase was, "When a man loves a woman!"

 

[chinarice]

I remember way back when, saying Herb Dean was a better ref than BJM and at the time, he was.

Now, Herb Dean is in the position BJM was at least to me but Dean is even worse than BJM was, now.