There may be a third heavyweight in the cage when Cain Velasquez defends his belt against Junior Cigano. None other than “Big” John McCarthy, a former police officer and pioneer of MMA refereeing, will be returning to the UFC cast.
Big John in Rio de Janeiro / Photo: Carlos Ozório
Having left the UFC in 2007, with a brief return in 2010, Big John was the California Athletic Commission’s pick to referee the main event in Anaheim. “The UFC was informed that there’s a 99% chance Big John will referee the main event,” Athletic Comission exec George Dodd told MMAJunkie.com.
Now UFC president Dana White issued statements backing Herb Dean as the man for the occasion, because he’s the “best ref in MMA today.”
