'Big' John McCarthy responds to 'celebrity referee' accusation

http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/19/2120096/ufc-quick-quote-big-john-mccarthy-responds-to-accusation-that-hes-an

Quote :

"As far as 'Celebrity Referees,' that is a line used by Dale (Kliparchuk) and Brian (Beauchamp) in their letter and now they have talked Mark Pavelich into using the same line. I have worked one MFC show and was not paid by Pavelich for working the show. I was paid by the Enoch Nation which owns River Cree. If I have a promoter contact me about working their show it is my right to ask for whatever fee I feel is fair. Most of the time that promoter is using my name to help promote their show and I should be compensated for that because it goes beyond the normal scope of the job. Now they are using you to help possibly sell tickets. If a commission contacts me and asks me to work a show for them I accept whatever fee the commission pays. Have I ever made $10,000 to work a show, No. I have made different amounts of money throughout my career. Last night I worked a show and made $280 for the night. This entire thing is about Brian being a person that wants to be a referee in the UFC. Someday he may attain that goal, but he is not close to being ready yet. although he believes he is. Mark Pavelich does not ever have to pay for a referee or official other than one assigned by an athletic commission at the rate that the commission pays their officials. All commissions are different, but if Mark wants to have a Herb Dean, Dan Miragilotta or John McCarthy work his event at his request, then they should be able to say how much their services are worth. If he does not like the price then he does not have to hire them, because nobody is forcing him to. Hope you appreciate the truth. I do not hide behind screen names you know who I am. I wish this could be said of everyone."

Here is the whole story.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/4/19/2120146/mark-pavelich-attacks-celebrity-refs-john-mccarthy-responds
It’s outrageous and absolutely inappropriate. These certain referees are charging anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 just to show up, bark out a catchphrase, and supervise a fight. But these fees aren’t being paid by any commission. They are paid by a show owner or promoter. And quite frankly it’s sad that some promoters feel obliged to pay them and put them front and center on a poster.

Why would they do that? Honestly, for most of them, it’s because they don’t have any talent pool to draw from so the biggest ovation of the night for anybody in the ring is for the referee. That’s a terrible statement for the sport of mixed martial arts. You don’t have much of a show if you’re paying your referee five times what you’re paying the two guys in the main event.

And how can you not call into question the ethics of these referees. Would you not expect their loyalties to be torn when some promoter is willing to pay them 10K, and that same referee is then calling the action when the promoter’s top fighters are in action.

It’s time for the commissions governing MMA to put a pay structure in place for all referees. They would be paid according to their experience, the level of competition they have overseen, and even feedback from notable fighters and insiders. There are a number of very good referees out there, including those that have worked recent MFC events. But even they shouldn’t be allowed to just toss out a price tag, or have a commission toss out one for them. There should be a pay scale in place – here’s what you get paid (plus reasonable expenses) … take it or leave it.

also included is a very long UG post by Big John.

Mark Pavelich looks and sounds like a such a cokehead douche. I have a feeling MFC's sinks pretty easily with him as captain.

GDPofDRC wrote:

Mark Pavelich looks and sounds like a such a cokehead douche. I have a feeling MFC's sinks pretty easily with him as captain.

That would suck. Less fights I get to see on HDNet.

OU wrote:

GDPofDRC wrote:

Mark Pavelich looks and sounds like a such a cokehead douche. I have a feeling MFC's sinks pretty easily with him as captain.

That would suck. Less fights I get to see on HDNet.

I could be way off, but there is something very Gary(Jerry) Millen about him.



Seems like he takes the worst parts of guys like White, Cuban, McMahon... So Maybe he could do great?

Who is the star of the show in this pic?

OU wrote:

It’s time for the commissions governing MMA to put a pay structure in place for all referees. They would be paid according to their experience, the level of competition they have overseen, and even feedback from notable fighters and insiders. There are a number of very good referees out there, including those that have worked recent MFC events. But even they shouldn’t be allowed to just toss out a price tag, or have a commission toss out one for them. There should be a pay scale in place – here’s what you get paid (plus reasonable expenses) … take it or leave it.

also included is a very long UG post by Big John.

That's how it is where ever there is a commission that oversees MMA. I can't speak for places without a commission but I know that the refs get paid a certain amount designated by the commission that assigns them they don't dictate their fee.

Primetyme199 wrote:

OU wrote:

It’s time for the commissions governing MMA to put a pay structure in place for all referees. They would be paid according to their experience, the level of competition they have overseen, and even feedback from notable fighters and insiders. There are a number of very good referees out there, including those that have worked recent MFC events. But even they shouldn’t be allowed to just toss out a price tag, or have a commission toss out one for them. There should be a pay scale in place – here’s what you get paid (plus reasonable expenses) … take it or leave it.

also included is a very long UG post by Big John.

That's how it is where ever there is a commission that oversees MMA. I can't speak for places without a commission but I know that the refs get paid a certain amount designated by the commission that assigns them they don't dictate their fee.

Yeah I think that is what John was saying here

Quote :

"If a commission contacts me and asks me to work a show for them I accept whatever fee the commission pays."
"Mark Pavelich does not ever have to pay for a referee or official other than one assigned by an athletic commission at the rate that the commission pays their officials. All commissions are different..."

Pavelich...the guy who said he would cut anybody who pulled guard.