John McCarthy, Herb Dean, Mike Beltran get key UFC on FOX 7 referee assignments

Longtime referee “Big” John McCarthy has been assigned to referee UFC on FOX 7's headliner between lightweight champ Benson Henderson (18-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and former Strikeforce titleholder Gilbert Melendez (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

Additionally, Herb Dean will oversee a heavyweight co-main event, Frank Mir (16-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) vs. Daniel Cormier (11-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), and Mike Beltran gets a lightweight feature, Nate Diaz (16-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) vs. Josh Thomson (19-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC).

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) requested and today received the list of assignments from the California State Athletic Commission, which oversees the event on Saturday at San Jose, Calif.’s HP Pavilion. UFC on FOX 7's main card airs on FOX following prelims on FX and Facebook.

McCarthy holds the most experience of the trio and has overseen hundreds of UFC bouts since making his first appearance at UFC 2. Recently, he oversaw UFC on FOX 6's headliner between flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson and challenger John Dodson.

Alongside McCarthy, Dean is one of the most consistent presences at UFC events and also has overseen hundreds of bouts. Both serve as head instructors in separate MMA referee training programs, which are accredited by the Association of Boxing Commissions.

Beltran is a veteran of California’s MMA scene and has refereed at several major events, including Strikeforce, where fans took note of his prodigious mustache.

UFC on FOX 7 is the UFC’s second trip to the Golden State this year. February’s UFC 157 event, which took place at Honda Center in Anaheim, drew 10,275 fans for a live gate of nearly $1.4 million.

For more on UFC on FOX 7, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Mike Beltran)