Not long ago, veteran referee Herb Dean was considered by most as one of the better referees in mixed martial arts. This year, Dean has come under heavy criticism from some high-profile fighters and analysts. He’s been booed by fans at events.
“Herb’s having a rough f**king year,” UFC CEO Dana White said during the UFC 332 Post-Fight Press Conference last Saturday. And White wasn’t lying.
The latest criticisms come from Dean’s stoppage in the UFC 332 main card lightweight bout between King Green and Esteban Ribovics. Ribovics dropped Green multiple times before Dean stepped in to stop the fight. Green immediately protested the stoppage and some felt it was halted prematurely.
The turn against Dean largely began for his refereeing in the UFC Freedom 250 interim heavyweight title bout between former two-division champion Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. Gane finished Pereira in the second frame but appeared to have delivered several illegal blows to the back of Periera’s head. Periera publicly criticized Dean and launched a petition to remove the referee from officiating UFC fights. Former welterweight title challenger and the original ‘BMF’ champion Jorge Masvidal has joined Pereira in wanting Dean out.
“Herb does it to himself, man. I don’t think it’s Pereira. I think he just exposed what Herb’s been doing for years and people are fed up with it. This guy’s got to go,” Masvidal said on The Deep Waters.
“He’s nervous every time. Look at the fight with Bobby Green. He’s sprinting at them to stop. I hate people doing that because, as a fighter, I can see you in my peripherals. I’m still locked in, but I’m like dude, what are you doing? You going to stop it or not? He touches people all the time without stopping it. He’s the most nervous in there. I don’t think he should be an official. I really don’t.”