Fronted by Luke Thomas. Note: while McCarthy is an employee of the athletic commission, it will be interesting to see how Zuffa treats him given their falling out.

via www.mmaontap.com

Both Sherdog and MMAontap are reporting on the return of Big John McCarthy to the cage.  McCarthy is apparently scheduled to officiate "selected bouts" at the Strikeforce event in San Jose, CA, on november 21.

According to MMAontap's article, McCarthy has had his officiating license renewed in California, but no information is yet available about whether he will apply for reinstatement in Nevada.

With the distractions brought on by the officiating in recent MMA events, it is great to see the best in the business coming back.  Big John *should* be the one in the Octagon for the Couture/Lesnar match, and hopefully whoever does get that one won't do anything to detract from the event itself and the subsequent discussion can focus on the event and not the officiating.

Welcome back, Big John.