Former UFC Ref Reveals Dana White Got “Pissed” and Blackballed Him Over Bellator Move

John McCarthy was one of the most legendary officials in the history of Dana White's promotion, but he has not refereed a UFC bout in nearly nine years. The Hall of Fame official debuted at UFC 2 in 1994, helped write the Unified Rules of MMA, and oversaw hundreds of fights before stepping out of the Octagon in 2017. 

Now, after years of remaining silent on the matter, he has explained why he never came back and what actually cost him his assignments.

John McCarthy Says Dana White Wanted Him Gone After Bellator Move

McCarthy signed with Bellator in January 2018 to join its premier broadcast booth alongside play-by-play commentators Mauro Ranallo and Mike Goldberg. He made his broadcasting debut that same month at Bellator 192 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. 

At the time, McCarthy noted that the UFC likely would not want a rival commentator working its cards. But recently he claimed that Dana White made that decision personally, explaining how the promotion influences referee assignments behind the scenes. 

Speaking with Ariel Helwani, he said, “I went and worked for Bellator, and Dana White was absolutely pissed about that and said, ‘I don't want him.’ And he doesn't need me. That's fine. You want the truth? I'll tell you the truth. They put in names for people they feel comfortable with, which they should be able to do."

His final assignment in the promotion was the rare UFC 217 card on Nov. 4, 2017, at New York’s Madison Square Garden, which featured three title bouts. McCarthy pulled double duty that night. 

First, he handled the feature bout where Rose Namajunas shocked Joanna Jędrzejczyk with a first-round TKO. Then came the main event, where Georges St-Pierre captured the middleweight title after locking Michael Bisping in a rear-naked choke. Notorious Bisping refused to tap and went unconscious, forcing McCarthy to stop the bout immediately at the 4:23 mark.

McCarthy's initial departure from the cage was forced by a severe physical crisis. In July 2017, he suffered a debilitating neck injury while teaching a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class. An incorrectly applied neck crank destroyed his C5, C6, and C7 vertebrae, shattering his discs and crushing the nerves leading into his arms.

Following three major surgeries and a long recovery, McCarthy shocked the MMA world by returning to active refereeing in October 2025 for regional and bare-knuckle promotions.