Former UFC referee John McCarthy will talk through his top five memories from the UFC in 2020 with Dustin Porier, Joaquin Buckley, Weili Zhang, Brian Ortega and Marvin Vettori making his list
With Sky Sports Presenter, Ed Draper
Last updated: 31/12/20 7:44 am
13:52
Former UFC referee John McCarthy takes a look back at the UFC in 2020, picking his favorite times and MVP of the year
Former UFC referee John McCarthy takes a look back at the UFC in 2020, picking his favorite times and MVP of the year
Big John McCarthy will pick his top five UFC memorabilia in 2020 after a year in which the group managed to put on 41 incredible events.
In 2020 the Coronavirus sent many professional sports around the world to chaos and then hiatus. The first effect involved the cancellation of five UFC events scheduled between late March and early May.
But the UFC kicked back faster than most and, in the end, held 41 events in the calendar year. In doing so, it also provided a template for many other professional sports to safely return with pre-event quarantine tests and protocols implemented.
McCarthy works as a Bellator reporter and analyst these days – appearing regularly on Sky Sports in 2020 – but has made a name for himself in MMA as a UFC referee. And he acknowledges that his body and stars have a right to claim kudos for adjusting to the ‘new norm’ so quickly:
“They were a machine. Just putting out one show after another out. And the real thing is you have to be happy with what the fights in the cage did. that, the achievements that they put on it, that was awful. “
Big John McCarthy is appealing to the UFC for hosting in 2020
From the many big fights that took place, we asked Big John to pick his top five UFC memorabilia of 2020.
1) Dustin Poirier defeats Dan Hooker with unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night, UFC Vegas 4, June 27, 2012
Dustin Poirier’s fight against Dan Hooker (left) was very emotional
“It was incredible. The second round of that fight was probably one of the best rounds you’ll ever see in MMA. And it was back and forth. Dan Hooker was doing well at the beginning of that fight.And then Dustin Poirier was just taking over.And Dan Hooker wanted to stay in a fight where he was getting a ton of damage at a certain point, but he didn’t stop between.
“That, for me, was the fight of the year. That fight was just incredible. The result of the two boys, and what the two men took, was the fact that they got to the end of that fight. , that it took 25 minutes, just beautiful. “
2) Joaquin Buckley KOs Impa Kasanganay with a header at UFC Fight Island 5, 11 October 2020
Joaquin Buckley (left) punishes Impa Kasanganay in one of the UFC’s most times of the year
“That’s up there (in the list of time beaters!) You have to look and say when a fighter like Joaquin Buckley does something most people haven’t seen before, that’s a minute. And just how he threw that kick, the way he set it up by turning his leg, so he could turn his whole body around.
“Impa, you know, good boy, a real hero, but he didn’t see it coming. And we always say, the ones you don’t see are the ones who hurt you and it certainly hurt him for it made him stiff Luckily, it was okay but that’s one of those moments that is going to live as a reel of sight, which is not good for Impa, but for Joaquin that one is going to live forever. “
3) UFC 248: Weili Zhang defeats Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the Women’s Straw Weightlifting Championship with a split decision on March 7, 2020
Weili Zhang’s victory over Joanna Jedrzejczyk (left) went to split-dec ison
“That was another fighting candidate of the year. The main event that night was Israel’s Adesanya against Yoel Romero, which turned out to be something of a snowstorm. But that fight was nothing but fireworks.
“He could definitely win the fight of the year. I tend to go to Poirier and Hooker, but that fight could be the fight of the year, too.”
4) UFC Fighting Night (aka UFC 180) Brian Ortega defeats Korean Zombie (Chan Sung Jung) by unanimous decision, 18 October 2020
Brian Ortega (left) enjoyed his fight back against The Korean Zombie
“I consider Ortega in here one of the best performances of the year based on a number of things. One thing is that Brian Ortega was out of a fight for over a year, almost two years and he came on back with that performance against someone as good as the Korean Zombie.And we all know what the Korean Zombie can do – the fight before he put Frankie Edgar away in the first round and Frankie Edgar is like one of the best MMA fights ever.
“But Brian Ortega won every round of that fight. He put on a show. Everyone knows Brian Ortega as a jiu-jitsu expert, an advocacy expert. That’s why T-City we call it, for the triangle, and its stand-up looks so good, it was just an amazing achievement that night
5) UFC Las Vegas 16 Marvin Vettori defeats Jack Hermansson with unanimous decision on 5 December 2020
Jack Hermansson (right) had plenty of competition against Marvin Vettori
“I thought it was a big fight. Jack Hermansson is really good on the ground. And so a lot of people were looking at Marvin and saying, ‘well, he can’t go down with him. . ’And he hurt Hermanson in the first round, he shot him down with a big bullet.Hermanson was almost put out with that shot, I’d say he missed the round 10-8.
“And then Vettori wins the second round again, but it ‘s closer. And in the third round Hermansson turns it around and Vettori is in trouble.
“Look at the dynamic, and it was really interesting for me during that fight. You can see when everyone was trying to gain control, trying to control the speed, or trying to to control the speed of the fight, or just trying to set a trap.
“There were just so many things going on, I thought it was so exciting. I loved the fight so much. I thought the two men played amazingly. It was so much fun. . From the fourth round, I was standing, moving around, just enjoying the whole thing. “