John McCarthy gives UFC referees a wake-up call about eye pokes amid Tom Aspinall’s ongoing recovery

A legendary MMA referee says his peers are to blame for the sport’s biggest issue.

Another year is underway in mixed martial arts, with the UFC’s schedule for 2026 starting in Las Vegas next Saturday.

At UFC 324 and beyond, fans are hoping for thrilling knockouts, back-and-forth wars, and some shocking results. One thing they are guaranteed to get, however, is eye pokes.

Fouling continues to plague MMA, with the failure to eradicate pokes and fence grabs remaining arguably the biggest blemish on the sport.

Eye pokes were a big talking point toward the end of 2025 after Ciryl Gane’s pokes significantly damaged Tom Aspinall, who continues to be sidelined by that October incident.

According to McCarthy, though, the Frenchman and other fighters guilty of pokes are not the only ones to blame…

Legendary UFC referee tells fellow officials eye pokes are their ‘fault’

Uncrowned’s Ben Fowlkes was recently on the ground as one of the most recognizable referees in MMA history spoke at the 2026 Combat Sports Officials Summit.

At one point, McCarthy highlighted eye pokes as the “most pressing issue in MMA” while using some of Jon Jones’ fights to demonstrate the problem.

In addition to the fighters committing the fouls, the third figure inside the Octagon has often been criticized for failing to adequately penalize pokes.

McCarthy appeared to reference that failed enforcement of the law by giving the referees in attendance a wake-up call.

“Extended fingers and eye pokes. It’s a fricking problem. And it’s your fault,” he said.

McCarthy announced his return to MMA refereeing last year, having served as an analyst in Bellator and the PFL after his retirement.