Referee McCarthy Discusses Safety, UFC Absence
Jake Rossen Aug 19, 2009
Referee “Big” John McCarthy -- a presence as familiar to fans as
bloodstains -- spoke with Sportsnet.ca
recently about his attempts to improve the state of officiating in
the sport, which currently ranges from good to grossly negligent;
the supplemental topic was McCarthy’s absence from UFC events,
which apparently stems from his involvement as an on-air
personality for the Fight Network where he made comments some
considered critical of the UFC.
On his possible return: “That’s up to the UFC. That’s not up to me…Dana is the guy that runs the UFC. He has a personal problem with me. That’s fine. It’s his decision.”
Is it really? Referees are recruited, employed, and paid by the
athletic commissions. Those commissions are likely holding off on
McCarthy officiating a UFC event because they perceive a potential
bias if he and White have an acrimonious relationship -- but that’s
not how it should work. Using that theory, White could claim
personality conflicts with any referee he’s not in favor of and
assemble an army of officials, by process of elimination, that he
finds favorable.
White has also had personal criticisms of other referees, including Steve Mazzagatti. Why aren’t they being withheld from his venues? Couldn’t it be argued that they’d retaliate by screwing up a fight in retaliation? And if not, why have that concern over McCarthy?
Nevada Executive Director Keith Kizer told ESPN.com that referees should use caution in making judgment calls outside of the ring. “A referee has to be very careful what he says,” Kizer said. “If he’s out there criticizing licensees, I would not be surprised if that licensee would have a legitimate objection against that official -- be it a fighter, a manager, or a promoter.”
McCarthy once had words for the Nevada Commission itself; Kizer refused to entertain the idea that could affect his status. “I saw him at New Orleans at the Association of Boxing Commissions Convention. Said hello to him. That was about the extent of it, pleasantries.”
As it stands, McCarthy does not have a license to officiate in Nevada and has not yet applied for one since leaving his on-air role as analyst for the Fight Network. But if the fighters’ “best interests” are supposed to be the priority concern, I would politely suggest all parties desist with the Mexican standoff model and let one of the better referees in the game do what he’s supposed to.
On his possible return: “That’s up to the UFC. That’s not up to me…Dana is the guy that runs the UFC. He has a personal problem with me. That’s fine. It’s his decision.”
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White has also had personal criticisms of other referees, including Steve Mazzagatti. Why aren’t they being withheld from his venues? Couldn’t it be argued that they’d retaliate by screwing up a fight in retaliation? And if not, why have that concern over McCarthy?
Nevada Executive Director Keith Kizer told ESPN.com that referees should use caution in making judgment calls outside of the ring. “A referee has to be very careful what he says,” Kizer said. “If he’s out there criticizing licensees, I would not be surprised if that licensee would have a legitimate objection against that official -- be it a fighter, a manager, or a promoter.”
McCarthy once had words for the Nevada Commission itself; Kizer refused to entertain the idea that could affect his status. “I saw him at New Orleans at the Association of Boxing Commissions Convention. Said hello to him. That was about the extent of it, pleasantries.”
As it stands, McCarthy does not have a license to officiate in Nevada and has not yet applied for one since leaving his on-air role as analyst for the Fight Network. But if the fighters’ “best interests” are supposed to be the priority concern, I would politely suggest all parties desist with the Mexican standoff model and let one of the better referees in the game do what he’s supposed to.
