John McCarthy

UFC referee · United States · active in the loaded archive 1994–2017. 669 archived assignments, 129 title fights.

Background verified · English Wikipedia ↗

669Archived assignments

129Title fights

154Five-round

65.5%Stoppage rate

31.7%Decision rate

8:54Avg fight time

Verified background

John McCarthy

John Michael McCarthy is a retired American mixed martial arts (MMA) referee best known for officiating numerous bouts promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), dating back to UFC 2. He is credited as being one of the greatest and most recognizable referees in combat sports history and an important figure in the mixed martial arts world, helping create the Unified Rules of MMA after initially creating the original rule book of the UFC. He currently is a commentator for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and co-hosts the combat sports-based podcast "Weighing In" with former fighter Josh Thomson.

Source · English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Notable assignments

Title fights, five-round bouts and main events in this referee's loaded archive, linked to the matchup pages.

Title fight · Women's FlyweightNicco Montano vs Roxanne ModafferiThe Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale · Dec 1, 2017Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Nicco Montano won Title fight · Women's StrawweightRose Namajunas vs Joanna JedrzejczykUFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre · Nov 4, 2017KO/TKO · R1 · 3:03 · Rose Namajunas won Title fight · MiddleweightGeorges St-Pierre vs Michael BispingUFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre · Nov 4, 2017Submission · R3 · 4:23 · Georges St-Pierre won Title fight · Women's BantamweightAmanda Nunes vs Valentina ShevchenkoUFC 215: Nunes vs Shevchenko 2 · Sep 9, 2017Split Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Amanda Nunes won Main event · Women's BantamweightLauren Mueller vs Kelly VelascoDana White's Contender Series: Season 1, Week 8 · Aug 30, 2017Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Lauren Mueller won Main event · MiddleweightBevon Lewis vs Elias UrbinaDana White's Contender Series: Season 1, Week 8 · Aug 30, 2017KO/TKO · R2 · 2:47 · Bevon Lewis won

Recent assignments

The newest referee-tagged results currently present in the PropBetEdge UFC archive.

Dec 30, 2017Myles Jury vs Ricky GlennUFC 219: Cyborg vs. HolmUnanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 Dec 30, 2017Neil Magny vs Carlos ConditUFC 219: Cyborg vs. HolmUnanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 Dec 30, 2017Matheus Nicolau vs Louis SmolkaUFC 219: Cyborg vs. HolmUnanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 Dec 30, 2017Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Edson BarbozaUFC 219: Cyborg vs. HolmUnanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 Dec 1, 2017DeAnna Bennett vs Melinda FabianThe Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion FinaleDraw · R3 · 5:00 Dec 1, 2017Lauren Murphy vs Barb HonchakThe Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion FinaleSplit Decision · R3 · 5:00

Profile details

Structured facts from the loaded archive and, where attached, a verified source. Unavailable facts are omitted rather than guessed.

Full name: John McCarthy
Role: American mixed martial arts referee
Nationality: United States
Born: October 12, 1962
Also listed as: boxing referee · boxing judge · mixed martial arts referee · podcaster
Documented tenure: Documented UFC assignments 1994–2017
Status: No loaded assignment since 2017
Archive tenure: 1994–2017 · first loaded bout Mar 11, 1994
Most recent bout: Dec 30, 2017
Archived assignments: 669 in the loaded archive — not a career total; historical coverage is still being backfilled
Title fights: 129
Outcomes: 263 KO/TKO · 174 submissions · 212 decisions (38 split) · 19 NC/draws
Average stoppage: 5:21
Background source: English Wikipedia ↗ · verified Sep 7, 2026
Photo: Piotr Drabik · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons · file page ↗
Reference: English Wikipedia ↗

Related events

Cards this referee worked in the loaded archive.

Dec 2017UFC 219: Cyborg vs. HolmLas Vegas · USA Dec 2017The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion FinaleLas Vegas · USA Nov 2017UFC 217: Bisping vs. St-PierreNew York City · USA Sep 2017UFC 215: Nunes vs Shevchenko 2Edmonton · Canada Aug 2017Dana White's Contender Series: Season 1, Week 8UFC Training Center · Las Vegas · USA Aug 2017Dana White's Contender Series: Season 1, Week 7UFC Training Center · Las Vegas · USA Aug 2017UFC Fight Night: Pettis vs. MorenoMexico City · Mexico Jul 2017UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2Anaheim · USA

Assignment archive

Up to 80 recent loaded UFC bouts. Result source links remain attached at row level.

Date	Event	Fight	Result	Round / time	Source
Dec 30, 2017	UFC 219: Cyborg vs. Holm	Myles Jury vs Ricky Glenn	Unanimous Decision Myles Jury won	R3 · 5:00	Official source ↗
Dec 30, 2017	UFC 219: Cyborg vs. Holm	Neil Magny vs Carlos Condit	Unanimous Decision Neil Magny won	R3 · 5:00	Official source ↗
Dec 30, 2017	UFC 219: Cyborg vs. Holm	Matheus Nicolau vs Louis Smolka	Unanimous Decision Matheus Nicolau won	R3 · 5:00	Official source ↗
Dec 30, 2017	UFC 219: Cyborg vs. Holm	Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Edson Barboza	Unanimous Decision Khabib Nurmagomedov won	R3 · 5:00	Official source ↗
Dec 1, 2017	The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale

Important: “fight impact” here means historical context, not causation. A referee does not choose the matchup, fighter styles, skill gap or scheduled length, so finish and decision rates must be interpreted with sample size and those confounders in mind.