The Joe Rogan Experience
The Joe Rogan Experience

JRE MMA Show #179 with Josh Thompson & "Big" John McCarthy

May 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

  • The Format: A casual, free-flowing conversation between friends. It feels like three guys hanging out, talking shop about combat sports, with plenty of tangents into life, politics, and weird internet personalities.
  • The Key Players:
    • Joe Rogan: The host, a massive MMA fan and commentator. He steers the conversation with curiosity and personal anecdotes.
    • John McCarthy (“Big John”): A legendary MMA referee and commentator. He provides the authoritative, insider perspective on rules, fighter safety, and the history of the sport.
    • Josh Thomson: A former top-ranked MMA fighter and current analyst. He offers the fighter's perspective on training, weight cuts, and the mental game.
  • The Vibe: Fun & Educational. The conversation is full of laughter and playful ribbing, but it's also incredibly insightful. It’s a deep dive into the technical and human sides of fighting.

🗝️ Key Themes & Topics

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:22) **McCarthy Mondays and referee restrictions** - Discussion on why Big John can't comment on fights while refereeing and how the new show format works
  • 2 (02:20) **12 to 6 elbows rule change** - Rule reversal details, New Jersey holdout, and fighter adjustment issues
  • 3 (04:04) **Knee injuries from kicks** - Real fight examples and debate over banning certain strikes versus accepting inherent damage
  • 4 (05:15) **Stomps and ground knees** - Effectiveness analysis and why they rarely work on unhurt opponents
  • 5 (06:28) **Pride era strikers** - Shogun, Ninja, and Rampage fights with emphasis on stomps and aggressive styles
  • 6 (07:48) **Emelianenko brothers stories** - Alexander's tattoo, Fedor's personality, and James Thompson matchup details
  • 7 (12:24) **Fedor's fighting style and explosiveness** - Speed, power, and how he nullified threats like Cro Cop's kicks

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Joe sits down with Josh Thompson, a retired champion mixed martial artist and fight analyst, and Big John McCarthy, a veteran mixed martial arts referee, Professional Fighters League commentator, and founder of Big John McCarthy’s C.O.M.M.A.N.D., an internationally recognized training school for referees and judges in mixed martial arts. Josh and John host the “Weighing In” podcast.
www.youtube.com/@WeighingIn
https://linktr.ee/weighinginpodcast
www.mmareferee.com


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The Joe Rogan Experience