Good Luck John, you will be missed.

dayyyyyyuuuumnnn!!!!!!!!

Big John..MMA living legend.

So what is the Fight Network?? Some direct tv channel, that has non stop MMA action?? I’m getting a boner just thinking about it.

DAMN IT!!!!

Ill miss you Big J.

My biggest memory of Big J is when he threw David Abbott off of …damn i cant think of his name but here is the link… Truely one of the best stoppages ever…lol

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6090517659562080737&q=Tank Abbott&total=238&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=5

Here’s the entire release:

BIG JOHN MCCARTHY JOINS THE FIGHT NETWORK
MMA PIONEER STEPS INTO A NEW ROLE IN THE FIGHT GAME!

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - December 7/07…”Big” John McCarthy has joined The Fight Network, North America’s only all-combat sports channel, in a full-time role as an on-air personality and strategic advisor. The announcement was made official moments ago during a live conference call in Las Vegas.

The world’s most instantly recognizable MMA referee is calling it a career in the ring and cage after 14 years. McCarthy will retire after officiating his 535th bout this Saturday night for “The Ultimate Fighter 6″ Finale in Las Vegas.

“As I enter a new chapter in my life, I look forward to demonstrating my love and passion for the MMA world in my new role at The Fight Network,” said McCarthy. “It’s a perfect fit for me and I can’t wait to get started.”

A charismatic giant of the game, and a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu himself, McCarthy is the most highly regarded authority and recognized historian on MMA. One of the original authors of the rules that govern MMA in the United States, his expertise and passionate advocacy of the sport has been instrumental in the legalization of MMA and the passage of MMA regulations in many states.

“John has been such a great referee for years that it is unfortunate he is retiring”, said Keith Kizer, Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. “However, I am sure he will continue to play an important role in the sport of mixed martial arts, and that can only be a good thing.”

“Big John has become a preeminent personality in the game,” said George Burger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Fight Network, “and his presence and depth of knowledge will take our industry leading coverage of the sport to a new level, to everyone’s benefit. It is great to have him on the team.”

For the last 14 years, “Big” John McCarthy has been the world’s best-known and most sought-after MMA referee, a career that began with UFC 2 on March 11, 1994 in Denver, Colorado. McCarthy has refereed hundreds of bouts worldwide, including virtually every major UFC event and many of the sport’s great match-ups, including Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock I at UFC 40 in 2002, and Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 in March 2007. McCarthy has refereed exactly 100 championship fights.

For McCarthy, the path that led to The Fight Network started last spring when he signed on as a part-time MMA analyst for the growing combat sports network. When he confided to Fight Network founder and Senior Vice President Strategy, Mike Garrow, that he was looking for new opportunities to expand his involvement in the fight game, the network jumped on the opportunity to offer him a full-time position.

Commenting on the permanent involvement of McCarthy, Garrow said: “John brings tremendous profile to The Fight Network. Talented, dedicated and respected by fighters, promoters, state officials and, of course, fans everywhere, John is a consummate professional whose experience, knowledge and passion for MMA make him an invaluable addition to our team.”

Fans can see McCarthy on Before The Bell and After The Bell, two original Fight Network shows that air after major MMA events from around the world and on additional news and informational shows that will be created to showcase McCarthy’s vast knowledge and insight into the growing sport of MMA.

AWWW ITS john mattua

Lets get it on!!

Big John will be missed.

Big ups to you BJM. Your presence will be missed.

WE SHOULD HAVE A BIG JOHNS BEST MOMENTS TRIBUT..he will be misse .. ufc hall of fame…its to bad he didnt have a fight!

It’s been a nice run BJM…Good luck with your new endeavours in life..hope everything works out well for you..

I hope he comes back and referees the main event for UFC 100.

Best ref there will ever be!

BustYoFace

Tank is a perfect example of a fighter that needs a ref like Big John. I’m assuming your referring to the first fight on that clip where John basically puts tank in a choke to get him off the other fighter. We need someone capable of that to replace John.
Really if its a heavyweight bout you need a heavyweight ref.

Is it safe to assume that Big John made this decision based strictly on financials? I would think he’d make more money as a ’strategic advisor’ and on-air personality than as a fef. Especialyy the ’strategic advisor’ - I would think that the big money would be coming from there, if it was about money.

Greatest Ref of all time. so much better than the Horrible Herb “didn’t see it ” Dean

Someone needs to make a video of him saying “Lets get it on 535 times” Please! Someone with enough spare time do this! It needs to be done. haha

if he was smart, he would have put a patent on his catch Phrase and no one else would be able to use it in any MMA or fighting event. Thats what Buffer did with ‘lets get ready to rumble’

[quote comment=”228474″]Someone needs to make a video of him saying “Lets get it on 535 times” Please! Someone with enough spare time do this! It needs to be done. haha[/quote]

I would like to hear Big John as a commentator on a UFC pay per view sometime. It would be really interesting to here what he has to say about fights. No man has ever been closer to the action then him. As a comentator, he would be really interesting.

[quote comment=”228446″]I hope he comes back and referees the main event for UFC 100.[/quote]

That brings up a question…what kind of naming convention will the UFC adopt once they hit 100 events? They will run out of lame descriptors “Boiling Point” way before they run out of numbers.

Im gonna miss the big ol’e lug.

[quote comment=”228504″][quote comment=”228446″]I hope he comes back and referees the main event for UFC 100.[/quote]

That brings up a question…what kind of naming convention will the UFC adopt once they hit 100 events? They will run out of lame descriptors “Boiling Point” way before they run out of numbers.[/quote]

I think it will be a long time before they run out of decriptors. The English dictionary is nearly endless.

big john is the man, he will be greatly missed. I can’t help but think about the 1st few UFC’s. He was in there with those crazy barehanders and nutty matchups with basically no rules, he pretty much invented how to referee MMA.

[quote comment=”228471″]Greatest Ref of all time. so much better than the Horrible Herb “didn’t see it ” Dean[/quote]
lol so fucking true.dean is a joke

best wishes with everything you do big john.i get jacked and amped up from hearing him say it.(let get it on).he alway done a great job.it will be impossible to fill those shoes

[quote comment=”228401″]So what is the Fight Network?? Some direct tv channel, that has non stop MMA action?? I’m getting a boner just thinking about it.[/quote]

I live in Canada and I get the Fight Network on Rogers digital..It is an extra purchase channel that costs me about $10.00 a month extra..
It is well worth it…EliteXC has been showing there cards live on The Fight Network…They also show pre and post UFC shows called “Before the bell”, and another after the UFC card called “After the bell”…Randy Couture co’hosts..

This show “After the bell” is where Big John got his first gig.. He does a segment near the end called “The last call” with Big John’…He breaks down some of the disputed decision’s through out the fight night..

They dont only cover MMa, they also cover boxing, and wrestleing…

They have a website…www.fightnetwork.com

[quote post=”4144″]So what is the Fight Network?? Some direct tv channel, that has non stop MMA action?? I’m getting a boner just thinking about it. [/quote]

LOL. Nice. Funny. The Fight Network isn’t as awesome as you may think though. They have a lot of TNA Impact and WWE and even low budget oriental WWE type stuff. Plenty of KOTC and Cage Rage though. I would say it’s worth watching about % of the time from what I remember. (unless you like fake wrestling and stuff.)

HOw do i get the Fight Network here in the NYC area
I have direct tv and i went to fight network ’s website and they provide a generic letter with a space to add ur own comments liek direct tv would make a bunch more money if they will put on fight network for an additional monthly subscription like shotime or HBO

so everyne do it and dtv will change

I live in the bx and the only way years ago about 3 i think was for me in my area of the boogie down was to get Direct tv to watch ppv’s of the ufc
so readers what can i do or we do to get the fight network????
IT SOUNDS great

why not retire right after the UFC79 instead? it could be better to end his career,right the end of the 2007..

I remember watching John McCarthy in UFC 2 and he didn’t know what the ‘hell’ was going on…but eventually he finally became in my opinion the best and most recognizable MMA referee in the industy.

great, now we have steve mazasuckass. i hate him. anywho yeah, best in the business is a great way to describe him

YES……YEA…..guys be happy this means no more fights being stopped to early….this is great news.any way good luch to you and your family john in whatever road you decide to travel.

Man, he will be missed in the octagon for sure. The only ref that you don’t have to worry about making mistakes in the cage. Seeing him in there always brought peace of mind for me. Best of luck!

Oh my goodness time is passing by… those pioneers are really getting caught up. Any way i am happy for big johns new venture.. hope it goes well.

What can you say. BIG JOHN THE BEST REF….Great now its time for herb dean to step it up and be the best ref he can be. BIG JOHN DONT GO

[quote post=”4144″]So what is the Fight Network?? Some direct tv channel, that has non stop MMA action?? I’m getting a boner just thinking about it. [/quote]

[quote post=”4144″]
LOL. Nice. Funny. The Fight Network isn’t as awesome as you may think though. They have a lot of TNA Impact and WWE and even low budget oriental WWE type stuff. Plenty of KOTC and Cage Rage though. I would say it’s worth watching about % of the time from what I remember. (unless you like fake wrestling and stuff.) [/quote]

I agree, hopefully big john can do something about all this fake wrestling crap on the fight network. (yeah right) Though did anyone see that k-1 grand prix saturday night? WOW!! Why bitch about boring lay and pray guys when you can watch pure kick boxing action! If anyone else has the fight network and missed that card, check out a rerun!!

The UFC will never be the same without Big man John Mccarthy.
Where ever you go i will too. Since the very beginning!
Good luck and Keep getting it on!