The legendary mixed martial arts referee will be joining Bellator MMA as a member of its broadcast team, the promotion announced Tuesday. McCarthy will start his duties as a color commentator at Bellator 192 on Jan. 20 in Los Angeles. It will be the first Bellator card on the newly re-branded Paramount Network.
McCarthy is the most recognized MMA official in history. His career goes back to well before the Unified Rules of MMA were codified — his first referee gig was at UFC 2. McCarthy also helped pen the Unified Rules in 2001.
“It is always so hard to leave something you love, but I have always wanted to step away based on my terms rather than someone else’s,” McCarthy said.