John Michael McCarthy (born October 12, 1962) is an American commentator for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

, former mixed martial arts referee, best known for officiating numerous bouts promoted by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC), dating back to

UFC 1 ''The Ultimate Fighting Championship'' (later renamed ''UFC 1: The Beginning'') was the first mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), held at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, United States, on November ...

. He co-hosts the MMA and combat sports podcast "Weighing In" with

Josh Thomson Joshua Joseph Thomson (born September 21, 1977) is an American mixed martial arts podcaster, commentator, analyst and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2001, Thomson has competed in Bellator MMA, PRIDE, Strikeforce, U ...

Biography

McCarthy spent some time as an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department, retiring around 2008. In 1993, he became involved with the newly created

(UFC) fighting tournament. He was the referee for

, launching a career as a UFC referee. The UFC initially started with very few rules, but McCarthy gave feedback that it was too dangerous and suggested additional rules, many of which were adopted. McCarthy often starts matches by saying "let's get it on" to the fighters, and this has become an iconic catchphrase that is associated with him and his refereeing. The nickname of "Big John" came about because of his size and stature. He stands and weighs ; making him larger than the majority of the athletes over whom he presides. According to a UFC interview, the nickname was given to him by UFC co-founder and promoter

Art Davie Art Davie (born April 5, 1947) is a business executive and entrepreneur formerly active in Southern California advertising circles. In 1993, he created and co-produced the tournament which became the televised Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 19 ...

. McCarthy recalls that the nickname began when he forcibly lifted Davie off the ground and held him in the air. In 2018, McCarthy retired from UFC refereeing, and moved to

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

as a commentator.

Awards

*World MMA Awards **Referee of the Year (Three times; 2015, 2016 and 2017) *'
MMA Freak
''
MMA Freak Hall of Fame Class of 2013

Personal life

McCarthy has two sons and a daughter, one of whom has been an MMA judge since 2013. McCarthy currently resides in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Published work

On September 1, 2011, McCarthy's

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

, ''Let's Get It On - The Making of MMA and its Ultimate Referee'', was published.

Film and television

McCarthy had a cameo appearance in the ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

'' episode, "The one with the Ultimate Fighting Champion". McCarthy also served as the referee on the MTV2 series ''

Bully Beatdown ''Bully Beatdown'' is an American reality television series created by Mark Burnett which aired on MTV. In each episode, show host Jason "Mayhem" Miller challenged bullies to fight against a professional mixed martial artist for a chance to win ...

'', along with professional mixed martial artist

Jason "Mayhem" Miller Jason Nicholas Miller (born December 24, 1980) best known as Mayhem Miller is an American mixed martial arts fighter and TV host. Miller coaches fighters in Irvine, California at Mayhem Martial Arts and has trained extensively with Kings MMA in ...

. McCarthy is featured in the award-winning mixed martial arts documentary ''

Fight Life ''Fight Life'' is a feature-length documentary on the sport of mixed martial arts. The film is directed by independent filmmaker James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films. The film focuses on the lives of professional mixed martial arts fighters ou ...

'', the film is directed by James Z. Feng and released in 2013.

References

External links

COMMAND officiating official site
*
List of bouts refereed by "Big" John McCarthy
on Tapology * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, John 1962 births American color commentators American podcasters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Los Angeles Police Department officers Living people Mixed martial arts broadcasters Mixed martial arts referees Sportspeople from Los Angeles