Widely regarded as the top referee in mixed martial arts (MMA), John McCarthy will be the man in charge of the Octagon during the UFC 71 main event between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell and Quinton Rampage Jackson on May 26, according to FightNetwork.com.
It's no surprise that the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) assigned "Big John" to referee the big event — he has been around since the beginning.
In fact, from UFC 2 to UFC 31 McCarthy supervise every single main card match.
As the sport has evolved and exploded during the last few years, naturally more referees have been brought into the fold. However, McCarthy has set the standard for his contemporaries inside the cage.
And if there is ever a questionable call — or a fighter in a big fight feels the bout was stopped prematurely — almost always the questions comes up:
"Why wasn't ‘Big John' in charge of the action?"
Or, maybe that's just whenever Tito Ortiz is involved (i.e. Ken Shamrock 2, Liddell 2).
Regardless, it's an important fight that will more than likely be a slug fest. I'm willing to wager that the five-round fight between these two aggressive strikers is going to end early.
It's good to know that "Big John" will be in there to ensure that it doesn't end too early.
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