Did legendary UFC referee Big John McCarthy and Jon Jones once have a feud? According to Big John, they did this during UFC 200. The veteran referee, instrumental in creating the Unified Rules for UFC, chuckled as he recalled the story. McCarthy has been a fixture in the sport for over a decade, having been both an MMA fighter and a rule-setter for UFC in its early days. However, Jones appears to harbor animosity towards Big John. But why? In a recent appearance at Weighing In, he recounted his rift with the P4P GOAT.

John McCarthy nearly lost his referee position at UFC 200. The former LAPD officer developed a passion for the sport at a young age, training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, martial arts, and boxing. His journey began at UFC 2, and reaching UFC 200 was a testament to years of hard work. Jon Jones objected to McCarthy refereeing his fight, a point discussed by ‘Big’ John McCarthy and Josh “The Punk” Thomson in a conversation that resurfaced with Marc Goddard’s reluctance to officiate UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards’s fight.

‘Big’ John said, “Jon Jones uh, UFC 200 was gonna be in Vegas, he was gonna face Daniel Cormier and I was assigned the referee by uh the commission.  And Jon Jones said no, he goes, ‘ I don’t want him as the referee.’ He goes, ‘We have bad energy.’ That was this thing ‘energy’. I love it.” 

He chuckled as he recalled the incident. Jones expressed that his interactions with ‘Big’ John gave him a sense that their energies were not in sync. Jones’s manager even filed a letter to remove McCarthy from the match. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversees UFC 200, approved the legendary referee for the fight. McCarthy once claimed he saved ‘Bones’ at UFC 165.

John McCarthy saved Jones’s life

The fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson is regarded as one of the most iconic in light heavyweight history. Despite Dana White considering Jones the UFC’s greatest combatant, he nearly faced defeat. Leading up to the bout, ‘The Mauler’ was often underestimated as a formidable challenger. Jones himself admitted to being lax in preparation, partying rather than training. He was taken aback by Gustafsson’s stellar performance, which nearly resulted in Jones losing.

McCarthy claimed that Jones would have lost the fight if he had not been the referee. He stated, “Jon would have lost his world title if I wasn’t doing his fight at UFC 165 when he fought Alexander Gustafsson. There is not another referee that would have told the doctor ‘No I am not stopping the fight’ and let him go out for the fifth round. And let that fight continue.” Despite both fighters sustaining multiple injuries, Jones ultimately won by unanimous decision.

He emphasized that no other referee would have risked their career for a fighter as he did. Yet, ‘Bones’ opposed his officiating at UFC 200. What are your thoughts on that?