Biography
In 1985, McCarthy became a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) following his father Ronald, who worked as a police officer for thirty years. (John's son, Ronald II, is also a police officer.) In August 1993, McCarthy was awarded his Tactics & Self-Defense Instructor Certification by the LAPD, and taught for the department until his retirement in 2007.
The nickname of 'Big John' came about because of his stature. He stands 6'4" and weighs 270 lb; making him larger than the majority of the athletes over whom he presides. According to a UFC interview, the nickname was given to him by UFC co-founder and promoter Art Davie. McCarthy recalls that the nickname began when he forcibly lifted Davie off the ground and held him in the air. John McCarthy is of Irish descent.
Read more about this topic: John McCarthy (mixed Martial Arts)
Famous quotes containing the word biography:
“The best part of a writer’s biography is not the record of his adventures but the story of his style.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
“Just how difficult it is to write biography can be reckoned by anybody who sits down and considers just how many people know the real truth about his or her love affairs.”
—Rebecca West [Cicily Isabel Fairfield] (1892–1983)
“A biography is like a handshake down the years, that can become an arm-wrestle.”
—Richard Holmes (b. 1945)