#1: Big John McCarthy – “Let’s Get It On”

“The ability to relax under pressure is the trait that all the greats share.  Panic is the most useless emotion that humans can have in any situation.  Fear is a good thing, it tells you , you have a problem, the question is how do I fix that problem, bringing panic into it is not going to help the problem.  The people that are the ones that tend to come out on top are the ones that can manage their emotions and manage everything that is occurring in that chaos.  They understand that it is ok to lose a little bit, they don’t get mad or angry when someone hits them, they acknowledge it, everything in fighting is a mindset, it’s the mindset of  I may not win every second, I don’t have to win every battle, I don’t have to win every engagement, in the end, I have to win the war, this comes from attrition.  Putting shots on people that slowly and systematically diminish their ability to put shots on you.” – Big John McCarthy

My guest this episode is the one and only Big John McCarthy.  He is a commentator for Bellator MMA, and is a former mixed martial arts referee, who is best known for officiating in the UFC.  He is a former officer of the Los Angeles Police Department and has been involved with the UFC since the very beginning.   The UFC started with very few rules, and Big John was instrumental in creating the Unified Rule Set which led to fighter safety and ultimately the growth of the sport.  He is famous for his catchphrase “Let’s get it on” and currently co-hosts an MMA and Combat sports podcast, titled “Weighing In” with Josh Thompson.

This episode is all about the physical and mental evolution of combat sports and combat athletes.  My key takeaway is that Panic is the most useless emotion that a human can have in any situation.  Fear is a good thing, it tells you that you have a problem, but bringing panic into the situation is not going to help the problem.  The people that come out on top in a combat sport or in life are the ones who can manage their emotions and manage everything that is occurring in that chaos.  They understand that it is ok to lose a little bit, they don’t get angry or upset when an opponent or life hits them, rather they relax under the pressure and start to make conscious choices in the chaos.  We also dive deep into the evolution of mixed martial arts from UFC1 to the present moment where MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world.  Tune in to a truly eye-opening experience and hear first-hand from someone who has been in the trenches since day one.