Let's Get It On: The Making of MMA and Its Ultimate Referee Review

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(More customer reviews)Loretta Hunt and John McCarthy have done an EXCELLENT job on this book, which takes you through the evolution of the Ultimate Fighting Championship from its earliest days as seen through the eyes of its most revered official. Clyde Gentry's top-notch "No Holds Barred" used to be my favourite MMA-related book (and it is still required reading for sure), and while it's still superior as a historical text and a fantastic read, LGIO has narrowly edged it out as my overall favourite. Hunt's writing style flowed smoothly, never allowing the narrative to stagnate, while McCarthy's candor and lack of a need to exaggerate his own accomplishments were refreshing. One of the things I've always liked about John is that he has the balls to admit when he's wrong, and when it's appropriate he does so in this book without hesitation. I enjoyed getting a unique look at the MMA world through the eyes of a man who was at once a cop, a referee and one of the sport's primary architects, and finding out why he made many of the the in-the-cage decisions that he made. This man has led a unique and exciting life (including being on the front lines of the Rodney King riots), and I was riveted until the final page. Really, really good work here, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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An intimate profile of the legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) referee, this first full-length autobiography of pop culture icon "Big" John McCarthy details every aspect of his life-from his strong-handed Los Angeles upbringing to his involvement in the naming of the sport, his role in its regulation, and MMA's rise in stature. The narrative follows "Big" John through his 22-year career as a Los Angeles police officer, where he taught recruits arrest and control procedures as well as survival tactics, then his 15-year career as MMA's premier official in the chain-linked cage. A fixture of the sport, "Big" John started refereeing at UFC 2 in 1994 when MMA was in its infancy and went on to officiate at every major UFC event but two until 2007. Following a one-year hiatus as a color commentator and on-camera analyst for MMA and boxing events, he returned to MMA refereeing in 2008. In his own words, "Big" John relates his insider's perspective from the midst of many of the sport's greatest moments-from Tito Ortiz–Ken Shamrock I at UFC 40 in 2002 to Randy Couture–Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 in March of 2007-along with his account of the birth of the sport in America, its evolution, and MMA's ongoing struggles for acceptance.

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