Herb Dean has found himself at the center of backlash across the MMA community after a string of notable mistakes in recent UFC fights.
Is the criticism warranted? And what can be done, if so? That’s what MMA Junkie’s “Spinning Back Clique” debated on this week’s show.
Advertisement
Although perfection is impossible as the third man in the cage, Dean has come under fire over the past three UFC events in particular. Alex Pereira raged at the veteran referee for illegal strikes to the back of the head in his UFC Freedom 250 loss to Ciryl Gane; Andre Fili expressed frustration over similar fouls in his UFC Fight Night 279 defeat to Vinicius Oliveira; and then at UFC Fight Night 280 this past weekend, Dean refused to penalize Shara Magomedov for repeated fouls – including hair grabbing – which ultimately led to him winning a decision over Michel Pereira, rather than a draw.
The fighters involved haven’t been the only ones throwing dirt on Dean’s name, either. The likes of Jorge Masvidal, Brendan Schaub and more have questioned the 55-year-old Dean’s competency to continue working at the highest level of the sport.
Check out the video above as MMA Junkie staff members Danny Segura, Mike Bohn, George Garcia and Brian Garcia give thoughts on the video above, and check out the complete segment on this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” below.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Reaction: Fighters lash out at Herb Dean’s UFC refereeing mistakes
