John McCarthy explains why being "odd judge out" often means being right in close fights, talks about "herky-jerky fighters" not getting credit

Ex-UFC referee John McCarthy recently shed light on the complexities of MMA judging, explaining why being the "odd judge out" in close fights often means being correct.

Speaking on MMA Junkie Radio, McCarthy emphasized the difficulty of scoring bouts involving unconventional fighters, such as those with "herky-jerky" styles. He pointed out that many judges lean toward fighters with smoother, more polished techniques, even in close fights.

McCarthy feels that this bias can overlook the effectiveness of less orthodox fighters:

“No judge wants to be the odd person out but sometimes I'm going to tell you the odd person out is the one that's right. You'll see many times you'll get it's a close fight and you'll see two judges going with one person... Here they do things that look smoother, look cleaner. "

He added:

"As you know they're throwing it but the person that's kind of like the, you know, Keith Jardine you know, Keith was herky-jerky in everything he did but he was effective and he landed hard shots and so a lot of judges wouldn't give him the credit that he deserved in the fight based upon it just didn't look good. It didn't flow well but he was effective and so there are many times you're going to see there could be that you know that fight where the judge that's the odd person out is actually the judge that got it right.”

Jardine’s unpredictable and irregular movements, while not visually appealing, were often successful against elite competitors like Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva. Despite his effectiveness, his style frequently led to judges undervaluing his performance.

Check out John McCarthy's comments below (45:29):

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John McCarthy offers expertise to improve UFC commentary

John McCarthy has suggested the UFC could benefit from adding an on-air rules analyst to enhance their broadcast team. Appearing in the aforementioned interview McCarthy expressed his willingness to step into the role if the promotion is interested, emphasizing the need for clarity during fights.

McCarthy highlighted gaps in the UFC’s current commentary, noting that commentators often struggle to explain stoppages, fouls, and other in-cage occurrences:

“Oh, absolutely. I don’t know if the UFC would want me, but yeah, I could do it with the UFC. And I’m being honest, I think it’s something the UFC needs. They have too many times that their commentators are unsure about what is going on or what should be done, and that’s not their fault..."

While Din Thomas serves as a coach-analyst for UFC pay-per-view events, McCarthy believes a dedicated rules analyst would better address technical moments for fans. Reflecting on his role with the PFL, McCarthy shared his appreciation for the flexibility it offers but remained open to collaborating with the UFC:

So, they have Din Thomas kind of off to the side as the coach. I do think they need, and I’m not saying it’s me, but they need somebody there to absolutely clear things up for the fans when they are in a situation when the time has been stopped, a foul has occurred, or something like that.'' [H/t: MMA Junkie]