At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Big John McCarthy Rewrites MMA History, Rules, and Future Directions
- Joe Rogan and Big John McCarthy walk through the real, often-misunderstood history of the UFC and modern MMA—who actually created it, how the rules emerged, and why some remain illogical today.
- McCarthy details his role in forming the unified rules, including the infamous 12–6 elbow ban and spiking rules, and explains how commissions, doctors, and legal fears still block sensible reform.
- They dive deeply into jiu-jitsu lineage and evolution, praising figures like Rickson Gracie, Jean Jacques Machado, Eddie Bravo, John Danaher, and today’s leg-lock revolution, while contrasting “basic” vs. complex games.
- The conversation also covers fighter safety, catastrophic weight cuts, corners’ responsibilities, neck and back injuries, new weight classes, and the structural differences between UFC and Bellator in a still-evolving sport.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasHistorical narratives around who ‘created’ the UFC are often wrong or self-serving.
McCarthy emphasizes that Art Davie conceived the original ‘War of the Worlds’ tournament concept, while figures like Campbell McLaren and Rorion Gracie contributed key pieces (pay-per-view access, Gracie validation) but later overstated their roles.
Many controversial rules, like the 12–6 elbow ban, are based on fear and optics, not data.
The 12–6 elbow was outlawed largely because a doctor referenced karate demo brick-breaking, not because of empirical evidence—Auburn University is now studying elbow impact to challenge that assumption.
Corners must prioritize long-term brain and career health over short-term heroics.
McCarthy criticizes Raquel Pennington’s corner for sending her back out after she said “I’m done,” arguing that once a fighter mentally checks out, additional rounds usually only add damage, not meaningful opportunity.
Weight-class structure and cutting practices are a major unresolved safety problem.
He supports adding 165, 175, 195, and 225 divisions to reduce extreme cuts and massive size disparities (e.g., a 224 lb Randy Couture vs a 285 lb Brock Lesnar), but notes promoter resistance—especially from the UFC—slows implementation.
“Basic” jiu-jitsu, done with precision, still dominates at the highest level.
They highlight Rickson Gracie, Roger Gracie, Demian Maia, and Kron Gracie as examples of fighters who use fundamental techniques (armbars, chokes, pressure) with such precision and timing that they neutralize more elaborate modern systems.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotes“If you’re the co-creator, how come you never owned one bit of it?”
— Big John McCarthy (on Campbell McLaren’s ‘co-creator’ claim)
“I wrote ‘mixed martial arts referee’ on my LAPD work permit in ’93–’94.”
— Big John McCarthy (on early use of the term ‘mixed martial arts’)
“Once a fighter tells you, ‘I’m done,’ it’s gone.”
— Big John McCarthy (on Raquel Pennington’s corner sending her back out)
“That glove is not there to protect my head. It is there to protect his hand.”
— Big John McCarthy (on why MMA gloves don’t reduce brain trauma)
“We start at zero. When we go to one, we’re not going back to zero. We’re going to two and then to three and then to checkmate.”
— Rickson Gracie (as quoted by Joe Rogan, on positional progression in jiu-jitsu)
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