“Big†John McCarthy: Making History – Video
On Nov. 12, 1993, Art Davie and Rorion Gracie introduced American audiences the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a strange contraption called the Octagon, and a sport that would go on to become known as mixed martial arts. The rest is history. “Big” John McCarthy didn’t referee any of the fights that night — that would wouldn’t happen until four months later, at UFC 2 — but he did play a key role in that groundbreaking event: he was the training partner for Royce Gracie, the first UFC champ. In part 2 of this FIGHT! Life series, “Big” John takes us behind the scenes of the night that changed sports history.
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