("Waaaaaaaaahhhhh!")

Judging from his TUF 10 wins over Mike Wessel and Darrill Schoonover, and subsequent losses to Brendan Schaub and Matt Mitrione, Marcus "Big Baby Darkness" Jones looked like he was halfway to being a serious heavyweight threat. He had the size, power, and ground game, but his boxing skills and chin left a lot to be desired. Despite his late start in MMA, we figured Jones would return to American Top Team, shore up his striking, and return stronger than ever — especially since he always seemed very passionate about the sport. But according to Around the Octagon, there’s been a change of plans:

You know that teleconference that “Big” John McCarthy is holding tomorrow? Let’s just say some of the suspense has been lost. Scoop-getter/thunder-stealer Kevin Iole at Yahoo! Sports has revealed that the 45-year-old ref is retiring after Saturday’s Ultimate Fighter finale, and is taking a job as an MMA analyst for The Fight Network. Stay tuned to find out if McCarthy’s decision to leave the UFC was spurred by a perceived lack of respect (a la Randy Couture) or if it was just about the money (a la Randy Couture).

I’m going to throw out a rumor now — you can take it or leave it. Dana White has been saying that the UFC is going to “shake things up” with the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, right? I’m thinkin’ sixteen referees living in a house, two coaches (Herb Dean and Steve Mazzagatti, obviously), and one six-figure contract. If you thought alcohol creates havoc when in the hands of young fighters, you haven’t seen what a pack of drunken refs can do. These guys love to drink. Upper-decking is how they normally use the toilet…