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Referees, judges revealed for Rousey vs. Carano card, ‘Big’ John McCarthy returns
TL;DR
The California State Athletic Commission has announced the referees and judges for the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight card. Notably, 'Big' John McCarthy will return to officiate the main event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Key points
- California State Athletic Commission announced officials
- 'Big' John McCarthy returns as main referee
- Fight takes place at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California
- Event will be aired on Netflix
Mentioned in this story
Ronda RouseyGina CaranoBig John McCarthyCalifornia State Athletic CommissionIntuit DomeInglewood
Netflix
June 6, 2015 - Referee Big John McCarthy before the middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. Dan Henderson defeated Tim Boetsch in round 1 by TKO. (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The referees and judges for the upcoming Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card have been selected by the California State Athletic Commission ahead of the cards on Saturday from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. with the event airing on Netflix.
The commission shared the selections with MMA Fighting on Wednesday.
In the main event, legendary official “Big” John McCarthy makes his return to refereeing and he’ll serve as the third man in the cage when Rousey and Carano clash in the main event. McCarthy is arguably still the most famous referee in MMA history and he decided to return to his old stomping ground after moving into a commentary role with Bellator MMA and hosting a podcast alongside UFC and Strikeforce veteran Josh Thomson.
Now McCarthy is back in a familiar role as referee as he’ll oversee one of the most talked about fights in 2026 with Rousey coming out of retirement and competing for the first time since 2016. Carano is coming back from an even longer layoff with her last fight happening all the way back in 2009.
The three judges scoring the fight are Derek Cleary, Michael Bell and Felicia Oh.
In the co-main event, Nate Diaz clashes with Mike Perry in a welterweight bout between two fighters who cut their teeth competing in the UFC. More recently, Diaz has crossed over to boxing for high profile fights against Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal while Perry has become the face of bare-knuckle fighting in BKFC where he’s racked up wins over names such as Eddie Alvarez, Luke Rockhold and Michael “Venom” Page.
Veteran referee Mike Beltran oversees the Diaz vs. Perry fight with UFC veteran Chris Leben, Marcel Varela and Raphael Davis scoring the fight as judges.
Q&A
Who are the referees and judges for the Rousey vs. Carano fight?
The California State Athletic Commission has selected referees and judges for the fight, including 'Big' John McCarthy as the main referee.
When and where is the Rousey vs. Carano fight taking place?
The fight is scheduled for Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
What is the significance of 'Big' John McCarthy returning to officiate?
'Big' John McCarthy is one of the most famous referees in MMA history, making his return to officiating after a stint in commentary.
How can I watch the Rousey vs. Carano fight?
The event will be aired on Netflix.
