Fans adore the spectacle of Mixed Martial Arts because the margins of error are so small.
Compared to pure striking combat sports, such as Boxing and Kickboxing/ Muay Thai, MMA gloves are significantly lighter. Weighing at 4oz, compared to the 8oz – 12oz range used by fighters named Sugar Ray and Saenchai alike: punches fly faster and land harder in this sport. To exacerbate matters, when a fighter is knocked down, he can expect to be immediately swarmed by his opponent, who will likely continue to throw strikes with the intention of promptly ending the downed opponent’s efforts.
Such stakes make for a highly entertaining experience for fans, but a nightmare for referees. In the aforementioned striking contests, knockdowns are followed by a mandatory eight count, wherein the referee is granted enough time to properly assess the fallen fighter’s mental faculties: to judge whether or not enough consciousness remains to allow further combat.
This is not the case in mixed martial arts. The aim of the sport is to simulate the circumstances of a real fight. Consequently, the time a referee has to analyze a situation lasts as long as it takes for a fighter to throw the next punch. In other words, by the time a referee can process a decision in his brain, multiple punches could have already been thrown, effectively changing the situation entirely.
Therefore, MMA referees would do well to create a system to aide this decision making process.
Enter John McCarthy. Commonly referred to as “Big John”, McCarthy boasts the longest tenure out of any referee in the sport and is widely regarded to be at the top of his profession.
In order of severity, the Rolls Royce of referees, details his theory of the various degrees of knockdowns. These are divided into five categories:
(1) The backwards braced knockdown
(2) The backwards non-braced knockdown
(3) The sideways knockdown
(4) The forwards knockdown
(5) The building demolition knockdown
McCarthy explains that his theory was built through consideration of anatomical physics and, of course, the experience of officiating countless bouts.
Twenty-four years after the popularization of mixed martial arts at UFC 1, late and early stoppages are still a heavily contested issue in the sport. Hopefully Big John’s input can shed some light on this issue and simplify future split-second refereeing decisions.
John McCarthy:
“Big” John McCarthy has been an MMA referee since UFC 2, in 1994. At the time, he was a student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the legendary Gracie clan that made a home in Torrance, California. McCarthy actually expressed interest in competing in the event. However, he soon shifted his attention to officiating upon realizing that he would inevitably have to face one of his mentors, Royce Gracie. He is now a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. [Source: Wiki]
