Big John McCarthy On Low Referee Pay, Selection Process & Why He No Longer Officiates UFC Fights
Big John McCarthy appeared on Ariel Helwani’s show earlier today, where he shared his thoughts on Dan Miragliotta’s controversial stand-up at UFC Vegas 123, following which Renato Moicano was knocked out by Tom Nolan.
The American referee also opened up about how much refs are paid.
For the unversed, “Big John McCarthy” is one of the most respected names in MMA officiating. He helped establish the Unified Rules of MMA after initially creating the UFC’s original rulebook.
During the sitdown, the 64-year-old revealed to Helwani that the most he ever made in a single night of officiating was just $2,000.
“I’ll give you the truth. Every fight I ever did in the UFC, the most I ever made was $2,000. That was the last show I ever did in New York in 2017… I got $2,000 for that entire night.”
He also added that Miragliotta probably made $1,600 for the Moicano vs. Nolan bout.
“I can’t tell you exactly, but Dan probably made $1,600 for that fight.”
McCarthy believes that since betting has “become a huge part” of the fight business, referees often face backlash from bettors who lose money. Referees also have to deal with death threats, which, according to McCarthy, makes the job even less appealing and not worth it.
“Betting has become a huge part of the sport, and when people do things right, they’re still being called corrupt when they didn’t do anything wrong. They’re being abused. They have death threats. You can only take so much. Eventually, when you’re making that kind of money and dealing with all of this, it absolutely has an effect. After a while, you start thinking, ‘This isn’t worth it.’”
Check out John McCarthy’s comments below:
More Revelations By John McCarthy
Although UFC fans have often been told that state athletic commissions appoint judges and referees and that the company cannot pick, John McCarthy has revealed what really happens behind the scenes. He said:
“You want the truth? I’ll tell you the truth. They put in names for people they feel comfortable with, which they should be able to do.”
He also revealed why he hasn’t officiated a UFC event since 2017.
“I went and worked for Bellator, and Dana White was absolutely p**sed about that and said, ‘I don’t want him.’ And he doesn’t need me. That’s fine.”
Check out John McCarthy’s comments below: