Herb Dean Plans Officiating Changes After 3 UFC Controversies in Recent Months
Updated
Updated · Heavy.com · Jul 21
Herb Dean Plans Officiating Changes After 3 UFC Controversies in Recent Months
3 articles · Updated · Heavy.com · Jul 21
Summary
John McCarthy said Herb Dean has taken recent criticism seriously and is reviewing whether his typically lenient style should change to affect fights more when fouls occur.
Three recent flashpoints fueled the backlash: Dean did not penalize Ciryl Gane or Vinicius Oliveira for back-of-the-head strikes and did not do more after Shara Magomedov pulled Michel Pereira’s hair and poked his eye.
UFC 329’s main event between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway was reassigned to Mike Beltran, with McCarthy saying the Nevada commission made the switch to ease pressure on Dean rather than punish him.
Dean has worked top-level UFC bouts for more than 20 years, but the latest scrutiny has put his foul enforcement and willingness to intervene under a sharper spotlight.