John McCarthy | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

John McCarthy Believes Luke Rockhold Has A Chance Against Paulo Costa

John McCarthy has come out and said why he understands Luke Rockhold’s callout of Paul Costa for his return fight in the UFC. Rockhold was scheduled to return to competitive action against Sean Strickland at UFC 268 in November of last year. However, at that time, the former UFC middleweight champion was forced to withdraw…

Continue Reading John McCarthy Believes Luke Rockhold Has A Chance Against Paulo Costa at MMA News.

John McCarthy has come out and said why he understands Luke Rockhold’s callout of Paul Costa for his return fight in the UFC.

Rockhold was scheduled to return to competitive action against Sean Strickland at UFC 268 in November of last year. However, at that time, the former UFC middleweight champion was forced to withdraw as he herniated a disc in his back.

The 37-year-old is now eyeing a return to the Octagon at some point this year, as he chose to call out Costa as a potential opponent.

Luke Rockhold Sean Strickland — Photo via Instagram @lukerockhold

McCarthy recently spoke on his podcast with Josh Thomson, where he evaluated Rockhold’s potential return against Costa as being good a matchup for the veteran. (h/t SportsKeeda)

“Yes, Luke at times gets too much into being a standup guy,” McCarthy explained. “Cause he’s slick, he’s a technical fighter. He’s got beautiful kicks, he hides them well, he’s got power on them, but his ground game is what made Luke Rockhold who he was.”

“They don’t give him credit for being as good as he is, and Luke on the ground is good. That dude is phenomenal on the ground. And there’s a huge difference between his ground game and Paulo Costa’s ground game. So, if I look at this fight, I go, this is not a bad fight for him. I understand why he’s calling him out.”

Costa, like Rockhold, is now on a two-fight losing streak following his loss to Marvin Vettori in October of last year. This means a fight between the pair could make sense regarding the landscape of the middleweight division currently.

Both fighters could see themselves reentering the title picture with a victory. However, many are still left wondering whether there is fight left in Rockhold, who would be returning to 185lbs for the first time since his knockout loss to Yoel Romero in 2018. Yet a two-year break might be all that was required for the veteran to rest and recover for a special comeback.

Do you agree with John McCarthy that Paulo Costa is a good matchup for Luke Rockhold?

Continue Reading John McCarthy Believes Luke Rockhold Has A Chance Against Paulo Costa at MMA News.

Quote: Sean O’Malley Was Smart To Reject Frankie Edgar Fight

John McCarthy and Josh Thomson have suggested that Sean O’Malley was “smart” to reject a matchup with Frankie Edgar, albeit for different reasons than “Sugar” gave. O’Malley was last in action at UFC 264 in July. After the late withdrawal of Louis Smolka, the bantamweight prospect opened the main card with promotional newcomer Kris Moutinho. […]

Continue Reading Quote: Sean O’Malley Was Smart To Reject Frankie Edgar Fight at MMA News.

Big John McCarthy Believes McGregor’s Time At The Top Is Over

Former UFC referee and Bellator commentator John McCarthy doesn’t believe UFC megastar Conor McGregor can return to his best in the sport. Many fans and pundits believe McGregor’s latest setback signaled the end of his time competing at the…

Continue Reading Big John McCarthy Believes McGregor’s Time At The Top Is Over at MMA News.

Big John McCarthy Pleads With Urijah Faber To Stop Fighting

Bellator MMA broadcaster and former UFC referee “Big” John McCarthy has warned Urijah Faber against a return to the Octagon. Faber was last in action at UFC 245 in December 2019. At the pay-per-view, “The California Kid” faced the rising Petr Yan. The Russian defeated the bantamweight great with a third-round head kick knockout. Yan […]

Continue Reading Big John McCarthy Pleads With Urijah Faber To Stop Fighting at MMA News.

Big John McCarthy: No Need For Interim Heavyweight Title At UFC 265

Add Big John McCarthy to the list of people perplexed as to why Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis are competing for an interim title. The pair are set to collide in the UFC 265 headliner next week for the interim heavyweight title with the winner expected to face current champion Francis Ngannou next. However, Ngannou […]

Add Big John McCarthy to the list of people perplexed as to why Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis are competing for an interim title.

The pair are set to collide in the UFC 265 headliner next week for the interim heavyweight title with the winner expected to face current champion Francis Ngannou next.

However, Ngannou is not injured and only won the title back in March. But because he could only compete in September rather than August, the UFC decided to go ahead with an interim title fight.

Many were confused with the decision making process from the promotion, including Ngannou himself, and McCarthy believes there was no need for an interim title at all.

“I have no problem with an interim title when you have a champion that’s out, you have a champion who is hurt and can’t compete. You don’t want that division put on hold,” McCarthy said (via Middle Easy). “This is the one time where I’m going to look and say I think the UFC is wrong. Most of the time I think they’re right with their interim titles, but this one makes no sense, because it doesn’t matter who wins this fight, be it Ciryl Gane or be it Derrick Lewis.

“They’re both very good fighters, and I really enjoy watching both of them. I’m not going to consider them a heavyweight champion. There’s a guy named Francis Ngannou that’s sitting there, and he’s waiting, and he’s got the real belt. It doesn’t matter what happens in this fight.

“You can take Francis Ngannou and not even have Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane, and put Jon Jones, and if Jon Jones wins, Jon Jones is going to be the heavyweight champion. It doesn’t matter who wins this fight, and that’s why it doesn’t make sense for me. As an interim championship, there was no need for it.”

On the flipside, it is just an interim title and the winner will go on to get pay-per-view points whenever they do eventually face Ngannou.

However, it is still extremely unnecessary and petty given that Ngannou reportedly stated he was ready to face Lewis in September.

John McCarthy Isn’t Buying Conor McGregor’s ‘Titanium’ Leg Claim

Former UFC referee and current Bellator analyst ‘Big’ John McCarthy isn’t buying former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor’s recent statement that his left leg is in better condition post-surgery than before he suffered his devastating leg break at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. McGregor has been actively promoting himself and another possible fight […]

McGregor has been actively promoting himself and another possible fight with Poirier during the beginning stages of his rehabilitation from a fractured tibia. He is expected to be sidelined for the next seven months with an anticipated return to the octagon sometime next year.

McGregor has recently claimed that he has a ‘titanium shin bone’ after surgery which he believes could ultimately give him a distinct advantage in competition. However, McCarthy isn’t so sure about that and believes that it could actually put him at a disadvantage if anything.

“[Conor McGregor] talked about how he’s got a titanium rod in his leg,” McCarthy said on Josh Thomson’s Weighing In podcast. “He goes, ‘I have a titanium leg. Now when I kick people, now watch what happens.’ Oh, I’m gonna watch what happens because I guarantee you, it’s gonna hurt you a whole lot more than it hurts them.”

“There’s no flexibility either on your foot. In your ankle, there’s no flexibility because those screws and that plate don’t move. They fucking hold it. So when you think your foot is gonna flex or that bone is gonna bend at all, it doesn’t do it anymore. The titanium rod keeps it there.”

The discussion stems from a recent Instagram post that McGregor made with a series of video clips, with him talking about the beginning stages of his recovery and his mindset moving forward. McCarthy’s comments only bring more skepticism towards McGregor’s post-fight claims.

Meanwhile, while McGregor continues his rigorous rehab, Poirier will challenge UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the title later this year. The fourth fight between McGregor and Poirier is still possible sometime next year, at the earliest.

What do you make of ‘Big’ John McCarthy’s recent comments about Conor McGregor‘s leg injury?