“Big” John McCarthy is kicking off a new career in mixed martial arts.
The longtime MMA referee has joined the Bellator broadcast team as a color commentator, the promotion announced Tuesday. McCarthy will make his debut in the Bellator booth Jan. 20 at Bellator 192 in Los Angeles. The event marks the first Bellator card on the newly re-branded Paramount Network and features a welterweight title fight between champ Douglas Lima and former UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald.
McCarthy will work alongside MMA fighter and analyst Chael Sonnen, who extended his commentary contract with the Viacom-backed organization. Sonnen will “remain a part of select Bellator broadcasts,” per a press release.
McCarthy will also work alongside play-by-play announcers Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo.
McCarthy is one of the most respected referees in MMA history. He first officiated a UFC fight at UFC 2 in March 1994. He also helped create the Unified Rules of MMA, and currently teaches referee and judge certification courses called COMMAND.
According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, McCarthy does not plan to retire from MMA refereeing entirely but won’t officiate top shows like the UFC and Bellator as a commentator. His main focus is his multi-year deal with Bellator. That said, he is set to referee a boxing match in California later this month.
“I first want to say how grateful I am for the opportunity I have been given to work with the incredible team Bellator has assembled,” McCarthy said in the release. “It is always so hard to leave something you love, but I have always wanted to step away based on my terms rather than someone else’s. My goals are to work as hard as I can to meet the expectations everyone will have for me and to hopefully someday exceed them.
“I cannot think of anyone I would rather be working with than (Bellator president) Scott Coker. Scott has always been a person I admire because of his honesty, loyalty and love for the martial arts. I want to thank everyone from Bellator and Viacom for the trust you are bestowing upon me to keep the commentating of Bellator MMA at the highest levels of the sport.”
Longtime Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith did not re-sign with the promotion after his contract expired in December. McCarthy is his main replacement.
McCarthy briefly did commentary for The Fight Network and Affliction in 2007, but returned to being the third man in the cage shortly thereafter.