The largest sales argument of the UFC has always been that you see the best fight best.
Legendary MMA referee 'Big' John McCarthy has been the third man in the Octagon for some of the most iconic back and forth collisions in the history of sport.
However, sometimes it is immediately clear before a fight starts that we are probably on our way to one -way traffic in the Octagon.
This was the case on the way to the first main event of Yair Rodriguez after his Breakout Win Streak in the featherweight division.
After the stringing of victories on top of each other as Hooker and Alex Caceres, Rodriguez was booked against a former champion in what a total mismatch was.
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'Big' John McCarthy was not happy with the UFC Booking Yair Rodriguez vs BJ Penn in 2017
During a recent episode of The Weeging in Podcast, 'Big' John McCarthy said that although he has never lost his love for the sport, there are still times when he is not happy with it.
McCarthy used one fight in particular, which he was booked to officiate, to point out one of the aspects of MMA that he does not like most.
On January 15, 2017, the rising Yair Rodriguez was booked for a 38-year-old BJ Penn who had not won a fight in seven years.
McCarthy remembered that he thought, “I don't want that fight,” and his concerns turned out to be justified after Penn had stopped in the second round.
It is not uncommon for the promotion to book a rising star against a veteran who is towards the end of his career, but on this occasion McCarthy wanted to answer.
The veteran referee even asked the UFC matchmakers about their decision to book this matchup with them and explained why they would place a veteran like Penn in this place.
'I was talking to Sean Selby and Joe [Silva] And I said, “Why? Why are you doing this? You know what will happen here '. And they go: 'Yes, we do that. But John, what do you want me to do? I have BJ who earns a lot of money per fight … If I give him someone he can beat, he wants to fight again. So I have to use his name to try to push my young hunter. “That's why Yair got this fight. “
John McCarthy even had his doubts when he spoke with BJ Penn Backstage
'Big' explained John McCarthy that he even had his doubts when he went backstage to speak with both hunters before the main event.
After he came up with BJ Penn's dressing room to talk about the rules, as he would do with each hunter, the two veterans had a quick catch -up.
McCarthy remembers that Penn told him not to stop the fight to give him the chance to recover if he is injured, but the official had his doubts.
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“I think to myself, I'm going to stop your fight, and it's just one of those. I hated those moments, she couldn't stand.”
Penn would fight in the Octagon and end his UFC career three times with a series of seven consecutive losses.