'Big' John McCarthy urges UFC to alter seating arrangement of judges if they 'want better scores'
Veteran MMA referee John McCarthy recently chimed in on the debate over Paddy Pimblett's controversial unanimous decision win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282.
Pimblett took on Gordon in a lightweight matchup at the co-main event of UFC 282. 'The Baddy' secured a decision win over 'Flash' but faced severe backlash from fans claiming that the result was a robbery. Owing to that, the judges of the match have come under great scrutiny, having been accused of scoring the fight incorrectly.
I'm legitimately shocked by this decision. I'm shocked it was unanimous by all three judges. Paddy Pimblett LOST this fight. Jared Gordon got ROBBED by the judges. This is absolutely criminal. There is something extremely wrong with MMA judging. It's the worst it's been. #UFC282
In the latest edition of the Weighing In podcast, John McCarthy opined that the seating arrangements of the judges might potentially obstruct them from getting a clear view of the fight. This, in turn, affects their ability to judge a match correctly. 'Big John' advised the UFC to change the seats of its judges in order to get a more accurate assessment of the fights staged in the promotion.
McCarthy said:
"Take a look at the UFC. the cage and the way that they situated because they're the ones that decide where the judges sit...You have two cage doors on the octagon. The judges sit in those two spots are two of the judges' chairs. Which means that you're looking through a gate which has extra poles and you're looking through more poles that are up and down."
He further added:
"It's not easy to see things and then you've got the referee moving in front of you at times...You give one judge a good seat. One, that's where you see the ring card girl sitting, there's one judge sitting there. That judge has a good clear view. Other than that, the other two judges get s*it seats...You want better scores, change it. Because you should."
Check out John McCarthy's take on the matter below (33:43):
John McCarthy warns Paddy Pimblett of a potential fight with Ilia Topuria
The animosity between Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria began when they got into a physical altercation at a hotel prior to UFC Fight Night 204. This tension was again seen at the UFC 282 pre-fight conference as the two exchanged heated words.
Appearing on a recent episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast, former UFC referee John McCarthy offered his thoughts on the enmity between the two fighters saying:
"There's a guy at 145 [Ilia Topuria] that you[Paddy Pimblett] got into it with at the media day, that man will f**king murk you. He will make you look like you are right now, a fairly average fighter that has fans. They put you in a co-main. You're not ready for the co-main son, not yet."
Check out John McCarthy share his thoughts on Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria below (18:00 ):