Bellator commentator John McCarthy is critical of where Triller is headed as a company after the controversial stoppage in the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren bout.
Former MMA champion Josh Thompson alongside John McCarthy took several issues with the Triller event insinuating that it only hurt the sport of boxing. Lately, “Big John” has been ever-present in voicing his opinions about officiating. Further, the two MMA personalities were critical of the event overall, and the entertainment components that seem to be taking over the boxing world. It seems the pair of MMA personalities believe boxing spectacle shows are damaging the sport’s long and rich reputation.
John McCarthy And Co-Host Thompson Put Triller On Blast
In particular, John McCarthy and his co-host Thompson doubted Triller’s ability to sustain itself long-term. While the seasoned former ref admitted that names like Mike Tyson and Paul will bring in eyeballs, he doesn’t believe there to be longevity in the type of product they present, especially with the younger generation of fans.
“You made money on the first show based on Mike Tyson,” John McCarthy said on the Weighing In Video Podcast. “You had Mike Tyson. … But if you were counting on Jake Paul carrying this boat here, and all the people that follow him. Well, all the people of the world that follow him are the millennials of the world, Gen X, whatever they call the new things, and those are the people that live on the internet, and they don’t buy anything. They steal it. So I would really like to know how many people stole your feed and how many actually paid for it. Because people watched your show – I’d be one of them. But not many people paid for it.”
Understandably, with illegal streaming a nagging issue for combat promotions, John McCarthy is under the assumption that it will impact the bottom line of Triller pay-per-views heavily.
Additionally, Thompson and McCarthy also drew criticisms of the commentary team that included the co-owner of Triller, Snoop Dogg and also on the broadcast, Pete Davidson, and Oscar De La Hoya. Following the second-round knockout in the main event, McCarthy and Thompson emphatically disagreed with the referee’s decision to step in and stop the fight.
“To stop the [Paul] fight, no, you don’t stop the fight. McCarthy continued. You don’t just hand it Jake the fight that way. Yes, Ben got hit with a shot, but Ben was up, and Ben was ready to go. His hands were in the right place…all the things. Small-time decision. It was really bad. If you’re going to have a fight on, bring on a referee that understands what it’s like to referee a high-level competition, or a big-time show.”
While the two MMA personalities are critical of the event and the way it was officiated, the boxing spectacle between Paul and Askren had “big fight feels”. So it will be interesting to see what kind of numbers are released to the public this week, as many MMA fighters are salivating at the opportunity of a big payday in the boxing world.
What do you make of Thompson and John McCarthy’s opinion about Triller? Do you think they have a viable long-term future? Let us know below!
