John McCarthy Talks Headbutt Controversy

WEIGHING IN

John McCarthy & Josh Thomson's MMA Show

Sports

4.6 • 531 Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to McCarthy Monday on Weighing In! On this episode, Big John McCarthy and Josh Thomson break down two of the most talked-about officiating moments from the weekend and explain exactly what happened from a referee’s perspective. The guys dive into the controversy surrounding the decision involving Nkuta and Herb Dean at the MVP event, discussing the rules, the referee's responsibilities, and whether the criticism from fans is justified. They also break down the illegal headbutt that occurred at CFFC while Josh was on commentary, examining how referees are trained to handle fouls, what options are available to officials in real time, and how commissions determine the outcome of these situations. As always, McCarthy Monday is designed to help educate MMA fans on the rules, judging, officiating, and decision-making process that takes place inside the cage. If you've ever questioned a referee's call, a stoppage, or the result of a fight, this is the show for you. 💧 Stay Hydrated with LMNT This offer may be claimed for LMNT customers, ONLY THROUGH OUR LINK! http://drinklmnt.com/WeighingIn https://www.amazon.com/shop/therealpunk?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_PXSPXPTQ4J26QW4FP4T5 🔥 Join the Weighing In Membership Get exclusive perks including priority fan questions and early access to videos! 💥 $1.99/month 💥 $4.99/month (includes the chance to debate Josh on the show!)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, I want to welcome all the new people that are listening to the show now after the Joe Rogan, after the Joe Rogan podcast.
0:06.7	So hopefully you guys enjoyed the JRE show.
0:09.6	And this is our first McCarthy Monday after doing the Joe Rogan podcast.
0:13.7	So we were a little late on putting this together.
0:16.8	We were like, I've been all over the place.
0:18.6	I was in Philadelphia for CFFC calling the fights there on Friday. And then Rock, which you did a great job. I'm so proud of you. Thank you. I want to take a bow, take a bow. And then I flew home. I actually slept at the airport that night so I can make my son's lacrosse games on Saturday morning. Oh, that sucks. I've done that. Yeah. And so I landed,
0:38.6	I actually slept in the airport till 3.30 flight and then I boarded my flight at five, got back
0:42.9	into Dallas by seven, then called Uber, took my suitcase and everything, obviously right to the
0:48.2	air, right to the field. Uh, put the perfect place for your suitcase. It actually worked out perfectly
0:53.5	because his game wasn't until 8.50.
1:09.5	And I, and the airport was only like 28 minutes away. So it was perfect. Jumped into Uber. Showed up there. I was actually like, I was probably about 20 minutes early. So it kind of worked out. It was pretty cool. Dude, you're even on time? I was on time. I mean, I didn't get any sleep. Thank you. I didn't get any sleep at all.
1:12.4	The life of a dad.
1:14.3	Oh, it's... was on time. I mean, I didn't get any sleep. I didn't get any sleep at all.
1:12.5	The life of a dad. Oh, it's, but John, I know you and I've had this conversation.
1:18.4	We're going to humanize each other for here for a second. We've had this conversation about
1:22.2	there was a lot of things that you did when you were refing and being a cop and you just
1:26.1	you missed out on some things in your
1:28.0	kids lives absolutely screwed up dude you know absolutely i it's one of the things that you know
1:34.2	i tell people all the time and it's one of things i i know it sounds weird that i'm proud of you
1:39.1	i'm fucking proud of you dude because it's so difficult and at times you're busting your ass because you
1:46.0	got to provide for your kid family provide for your kids but you got to be there because the
1:50.3	emotional part of them remembering that you were there or you weren't it's everything and
	...

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