At a glance
- Cohosted by Josh “The Punk” Thomson, former Strikeforce lightweight champion
- John “Big John” McCarthy, UFC referee from the promotion's early days
- More than 500 episodes, rated 4.6/5 on Apple Podcasts
Overview
Weighing In is an independent podcast hosted by two well known MMA figures. Josh “The Punk” Thomson was the Strikeforce lightweight champion from 2008 to 2009. John “Big John” McCarthy is the UFC's landmark referee, there from the promotion's earliest days.
The YouTube channel launched in January 2017. As of September 2026 the podcast has more than 500 episodes, and the channel has about 127,000 subscribers. The show holds a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Apple Podcasts.
What you'll find
The podcast and videos come out almost every day. You get reactions to UFC events, breakdowns of officiating decisions and interviews with fighters.
The officiating angle is what sets the show apart. When a stoppage sparks debate, a point gets taken or a judges' decision surprises everyone, McCarthy explains what the rules say and what a referee sees from inside the cage. Thomson adds the fighter's view on strategy and on what happens between rounds.
Why follow
Few MMA outlets give a referee of this stature a regular platform. With McCarthy you get a clear read on the Unified Rules, the scoring criteria and the logic behind a stoppage, which changes how you watch a fight. Officiating controversies, common after big events, start to make more sense.
Thomson brings the experience of a former Strikeforce champion who competed at the top of the lightweight division. The pairing covers the two roles you see in the cage: the person fighting and the person enforcing the rules. The daily schedule lets you follow every UFC event as the week unfolds. Thomson's own title run in Strikeforce also gives him credibility when he talks about championship fights and how they are judged. The interviews with fighters round out the week, giving you a mix of analysis and firsthand accounts from the people involved in the week's biggest fights.
MMA Official's take
This is for fans who want to understand the rules, the officiating and the judges' decisions. Start with the episode after a UFC event that ended in a disputed stoppage or decision: that is where McCarthy's expertise shows most. Then keep up with the daily reactions for the rest of the news.