UFC legend “Tank Abbott” was never a fan of famed referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy. Not only from their run-ins in UFC, but Abbott claims McCarthy was on his back because he was a street fighter while the latter was a police officer with LAPD. Abbott recently made an appearance on the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) MMA Show no. 158, where he claimed that McCarthy was behind him getting the boot from UFC.

Known for his tough-guy persona and brawling style, Abbott became an icon of MMA in the early days of the promotion when it was still considered, a ‘no rules and no holds barred contest’. While his real name is David Lee Abbott, he is mainly known by the fans for his nickname, ‘Tank’, and his fighting style reflected it accurately as he ran through opponents with ruthless aggression. He carried this same aggression outside the cage, and that is what sparked tensions between the veteran fighter and the referee.

Tank Abbott says McCarthy had no “respect for fighter’s fortitude”

During his conversation with Joe Rogan, the podcast host, and the UFC legend were watching a video of one of Abbott’s fights in the promotion and discussing the rules back in the day. This led to Abbott recounting that there was a specific fight where he believed McCarthy’s interference cost him the victory.

He stated, “I would have won that fight if Big John McCarthy wouldn’t have stuck his melon in-between us and break us up. You know, that’s how you were talking about how they fix the fights and everything. He broke this fight up, there were no rules, look, he’s breaking us up, why’d he do that?”

This prompted Rogan to inquire about the rules and the crowd’s reaction and Abbott confirmed there were no rules back then and the crowd was indeed booing. Abbott further went on to state, “…he’s corrupt and he’s a crook. His idea of what he thinks fighting is, and he’s a full-on ‘Ole O’ submission guy coz he’s all into technique. I don’t know this, he’s never said it to me, but he’s all into skill and everything else. He has no respect for fighter’s fortitude or anything like that.”

The podcast host, however, defended McCarthy and suggested, “I mean, I think you have like a personal dispute with him but I like Big John”. Despite Rogan’s defense, Abbott stood firm, claiming, “Well you might like him, but, he leveraged his made-up persona of ‘Big John’ to get me kicked out of the show. Him and his wife, they got me kicked out of the show. ”

Back in 1996, at UFC 8, Tank Abbott and his girlfriend were told off by McCarthy’s wife Elaine and cage-side UFC officials after Abbott almost came to blows with Brazilian fighter Allan Goes. This was during the pre-Zuffa era when the UFC was still trying to get recognized as a legitimate sport. So rowdy behavior at the shows would have worked towards the opposite end.

Once Abbott came to know of Elaine apprehending his girlfriend, he turned his aggression at her, allegedly shouting “I’ll fu**ing kill, you.” Needless to say, this did not go down well with McCarthy, although Abbott reportedly issued an official letter of apology later. However, it was later revealed that then-UFC commissioner Art Davie drafted the letter for Abbott, who was not too keen on writing it. 28 years later, Abbott still isn’t a fan of McCarthy.

Abbott’s revelations prompted Joe Rogan to question the timeline and reasons behind such actions, to which the former fighter responded by explaining, “Yeah, very early… Because he does not like me, he’s a cop and he doesn’t like the fact that I’m probably, in his eyes, a thug. But the point is, he has a bee in his bonnet and he’s never liked me.”

Prior to joining the UFC, Abbott was popular as a street fighter. However, this apparently, didn’t sit well with McCarthy, who was an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department around that time. Abbott revealed that he repeatedly got into legal trouble due to street fighting. As a police officer, McCarthy would run background checks on him.

Nevertheless, while he may have issues with the veteran referee, Abbott has recently made a public apology towards UFC CEO Dana White for his actions towards the UFC boss back in the day! 

Abbott makes a heartfelt apology towards Dana White for his “possessed” behavior

Tank Abbott, made an appearance on the ‘Jaxxon’ podcast recently where he shared a particularly regretful memory involving calling UFC CEO Dana White when he wasn’t in a coherent state of mind.

Abbott shared, “Dana was on the calling list now and then, just search the phone and go ‘oh yeah, let’s call this guy up!’ I ended up calling Dana and the longer time went by, the crazier I got… I ended up saying some really bad things [to Dana White], only because my wife told me about them and it triggers memories. I’d go ‘oh my god, why would I do something like that?’.”

However, the UFC legend then took the time on the show to make a public apology towards White and stated, “Dana I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do and say the things that happened, it was not me and it wasn’t a drunk me, it wasn’t me. I was possessed with poison.”

This mix of contentious history and personal accountability paints a complex picture of a fighter who has left an indelible mark on the sport of MMA. Abbott’s stories offer a glimpse into the wild early days of the UFC, marked by intense rivalries and personal conflicts, reminding fans of the sport’s tumultuous journey to legitimacy! What are your thoughts on Tank Abbott’s stories? Share them with us in the comments below!