Let's Get It On!_ The Making of MMA and Its Ultimate Referee - Big John Mccarthy [110]
“High Voltage”
November 2, 2001
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Bouts I Reffed:
Matt Lindland vs. Phil Baroni
Josh Barnett vs. Bobby Hoffman
Matt Hughes vs. Carlos Newton
Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo
The welterweight title bout fight between Newton and Hughes went down as a classic with a controversial ending. Newton had latched on a triangle choke in the first round, and Hughes countered by lifting the champion, resting him high on the cage, then slamming him down in a last-ditch effort as the choke drained Hughes of his senses. The slam knocked Newton unconscious, and he didn’t come to for a good forty-five seconds. As I pushed a dazed Hughes off Newton, I noticed he was blinking to clear his vision, something I’ve done myself after a choke. I have both choked and been choked out too many times to count, and I’ve never seen anyone blink while out. Hughes was close, but only one fighter went out that night. Hughes was deemed the winner and the new welterweight champion.
To be honest, it was something I and the other referees had already been doing since UFC 15, but now it was a rule. If a fighter was in his opponent’s guard throwing little punches now and then, it wouldn’t be enough to keep him in that position. I got the drift that Zuffa wanted stand-ups to happen more because they were looking for more action in their fights.
Back at the police academy, my involvement with the UFC was getting noticed. I had to start my course by allowing the class to get their questions about the UFC out of their systems. I understood people were curious, and there wasn’t anything wrong with that. Still, I wanted the cadets to concentrate on the more important materials at hand, like learning how to handle violent suspects in life-or-death situations, and they couldn’t do that until they got the UFC off their brains.
When I’d started refereeing for the UFC, the LAPD hadn’t said boo about it, other than asking me to get the appropriate work permits. My superiors all knew what I was doing with the UFC. Even the chief at the time, Bernard Parks, had stopped me once to talk about it. He wanted to attend a UFC, and I said I’d be happy to buy him some tickets.
So after I’d gone unnoticed for years, my LAPD superiors began to recognize me from my UFC appearances, which wasn’t necessarily good for me. One thing you learn with the LAPD is that it’s all about egos, and when someone thinks you have something over them, jealousy will rear its ugly head. People can be vindictive, and if they have power to use against you, sometimes they will. And if they don’t have it, they might go to someone who does, which is what happened to me.
At that time, my dad was working for Safariland, which produced body armor and police duty gear. The company had asked if he could get me to model a new vest in their ads because of my visibility as a UFC referee. The company also wanted to use the slogan “Are you ready?”
I said, “Is it a favor for you, Dad, or for them?”
“For me.”
“Then, of course, I’ll do it.”
I didn’t need to apply for a work permit. I wasn’t getting paid to pose in the ad. Safariland asked me to wear my badge to the shoot, but I told them I couldn’t. LAPD officers were strictly forbidden to wear their badges on film, TV, or in any type of advertising, so I told them I’d get a fake one to wear.
During the shoot, I even requested that I hold a glock, which the LAPD didn’t use at the time. I didn’t want the department associated in any way or for them to think I might be trying to make money off them.
When I put on the vest, I asked the photographer to get the prop badge from my bag for me. As he mounted it to my bulky gear, I couldn’t really see it.
When the ad came out a short time later in a police magazine, someone in the department complained that I shouldn’t be allowed to pose in advertisements. When I was confronted about it, a superior asked why I hadn’t filled out a work permit. I explained that I hadn’t gotten paid for it, but a complaint was filed against me, and an investigation