You can't always get what you want.
The California State Athletic Commission has earmarked "Big" John McCarthy as the referee for the main event of UFC on FOX 1, which features a heavyweight title fight between champ Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior Dos Santos.
It's the UFC's first event on major network television.
"The UFC has been informed that there is a 99 percent chance that John McCarthy will be in the cage for the main event," CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd today told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com).
UFC on FOX 1 takes place Nov. 12 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The night's main event airs live on FOX as the showpiece of a one-hour broadcast.
The referee assignment is probably not the happiest piece of news recently heard by UFC president Dana White. In a previous interview, the executive said he'd prefer to have the fight overseen by Herb Dean, who's been the third man in the cage for countless UFC main events.
"I think Herb Dean's the best referee in the business," White said. "Now I won't get Herb Dean because I said that."
McCarthy, a former LAPD officer who oversaw oversaw nearly every bout in the octagon in the UFC's early days, returned to the octagon in August 2010 after a nearly three-year absence. His use of the Mills Lane phrase "let's get it on!" has become an iconic part of MMA history.
Both McCarthy and Dean conduct training courses on MMA refereeing that are accredited by the Association of Boxing Commissions.
As MMAjunkie.com earlier reported, Dean and longtime referee Larry Landless also have been assigned to UFC on FOX 1, though their specific assignments are not yet known. Dodd said today that judging assignments have yet to be finalized, but he expressed confidence that fans can expect top-notch officiating on fight night.
"We feel confident that any of the officials that have been assigned to the event will do a great job for the state of California," he said.
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