Before the UFC became a premier combat sports organization, ‘Tank’ Abbott was one of its most popular figures. Known for his tough-guy persona and brawling style, Abbott became an early icon of MMA during the promotion’s ‘no rules and no holds barred contest’ era.
Recently, Tank Abbott appeared on the JRE podcast where he shared stories from the ‘wild west’ days of MMA. There he revealed surprising details about his controversial relationship with famed referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy during the early days of the UFC.
During the conversation with Joe Rogan, they watched a video of one of Abbott’s matches and discussed the rules of that time. Abbott recounted that he believed referee McCarthy’s interference in this specific bout cost him the victory.
Abbott stated: “I would have won that fight if Big John McCarthy wouldn’t have stuck his melon in-between us and break us up. You know, that’s how you were talking about how they fix the fights and everything, he broke this fight up, there were no rules, look, he’s breaking us up, why’d he do that.”
Rogan asked about the rules and the crowd’s reaction, and Abbott confirmed there were no rules back then and the crowd was indeed booing. Abbott further claimed, “…he’s corrupt and he’s a crook. His idea of what he thinks fighting is and he’s a full-on ‘Ole O’ submission guy coz he’s all into technique. I don’t know this, he’s never said it to me, but he’s all into skill and everything else, he has no respect for fighter’s fortitude or anything like that.”
Rogan defended McCarthy, suggesting that Abbott might have a personal dispute with him. He said: “I mean, I think you have like a personal dispute with him but I like Big John.”
However, Abbott stayed firm and insisted: “Well you might like him, but uh, he leveraged his made-up persona of ‘Big John’ to get me kicked out of the show. Him and his wife, they got me kicked out of the show.”
This revelation prompted Rogan to question the timeline and reasons behind such actions. Abbott explained: “Yeah, very early… Because he does not like me, he’s a cop and he doesn’t like the fact that I’m probably, in his eyes, a thug. But the point is, he has a bee in his bonnet and he’s never liked me.”
The discussion highlighted the complex dynamics between competitors and referees, especially in the sport’s early days. While McCarthy’s contributions to the sport are undeniable, Abbott’s narrative offers a different perspective on the veteran referee’s relationship with some fighters.
