An intimate profile of the legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) referee, this first full-length autobiography of pop culture icon “Big” John McCarthy details every aspect of his life—from his strong-handed Los Angeles upbringing to his involvement in the naming of the sport, his role in its regulation, and MMA’s rise in stature. The narrative follows “Big” John through his 22-year career as a Los Angeles police officer, where he taught recruits arrest and control procedures as well as survival tactics, then his 15-year career as MMA’s premier official in the chain-linked cage. A fixture of the sport, “Big” John started refereeing at UFC 2 in 1994 when MMA was in its infancy and went on to officiate at every major UFC event but two until 2007. Following a one-year hiatus as a color commentator and on-camera analyst for MMA and boxing events, he returned to MMA refereeing in 2008. In his own words, "Big" John relates his insider’s perspective from the midst of many of the sport’s greatest moments—from Tito Ortiz–Ken Shamrock I at UFC 40 in 2002 to Randy Couture–Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 in March of 2007—along with his account of the birth of the sport in America, its evolution, and MMA’s ongoing struggles for acceptance.

About the Author

"Big" John McCarthy served as an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department for 22 years and is the world's preeminent mixed martial arts (MMA) referee. McCarthy has officiated over 1,500 bouts worldwide since his debut at UFC 2 in 1994 and is one of the original authors of the sport's rules and regulations in the United States.

Loretta Hunt is a journalist who has penned more than 3,000 articles on all aspects of mixed martial arts since 2001. She has written for ESPN.com, SI.com, and the Los Angeles Times. She is the coauthor of the New York Times best seller Becoming the Natural: My Life In and Out of the Cage, the memoir of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture.

Bas Rutten is a former MMA fighter known as El Guapo, an actor, an author, and a TV commentator. He is a former UFC heavyweight champion, the weekly cohost of HDNet’s Inside MMA, and the author of Bas Rutten’s Big Book of Combat, Volume 1 and Volume 2.

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