When you think of MMA referees, the first one that comes to mind is “Big” John McCarthy. He’s like a classic McDonalds Big Mac in a sea of Quarter Pounders & Filet-o-Fishes. It’s not that the other referees (metaphorically represented by fast-food sandwiches) aren’t good, but they’ll never be able to compete with the O.G. that has been around since the beginning. Widely recognized as the best referee in MMA, the last time we saw Big John in the Octagon was December 8, 2007 at the Team Serra vs. Team Hughes Ultimate Fighter finale; A card headlined by Roger Huerta and Clay Guida. Since then, McCarthy has refereed for rival organizations Affliction & Strikeforce, even landed a role as the official referee of EA Sports MMA, scheduled to drop later this year. Rather than sit here and speculate what politics kept him from refereeing fights in the UFC, the important thing is that he’ll be back in the octagon on August 1 to referee UFC on Versus 2, headlined by Jon Jones and Vladimir Matyushenko.
Recent arguments over inconsistent scoring and stoppages may or may not be at the forefront of the decision to bring John McCarthy back to action while statements like that are at the forefront of what constitutes solidly mediocre journalism. We really have no idea what’s taken this long or why it’s finally happening now. Whatever the reason, having John McCarthy back in the UFC is going to be a throwback to the early days and we’re glad he’s back. Long time UFC fans are sure to rejoice when they hear “Let’s Get It On!” after all these years. Now if only we could bring back Pride Rules… [Source]
