Former BMF Champion Rips Herb Dean, Labels Him the Worst MMA Referee Ever

Herb Dean
January 22, 2023, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil: RIO DE JANEIRO, RJ - JANUARY 22: Herb Dean during the UFC 283 event at Jeunesse Arena on January 22, 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil - ZUMAp175 20230122_zsa_p175_074 Copyright: xLeandroxBernardesx

The UFC has long been plagued by controversial officiating, with Dana White previously calling out referees such as Mario Yamasaki and Steve Mazzagatti for what he viewed as dangerous and career-shortening mistakes inside the Octagon. While fans have largely reached a consensus on those officials, Herb Dean remains a far more polarizing figure, widely respected for his longevity and experience, yet criticized for a string of questionable stoppages.

That divide was once again on full display during the UFC 325 co-main event, when Dean officiated the bout between Dan Hooker and Benoît Saint Denis. The fight ended in a brutal ground-and-pound stoppage victory for the Frenchman, but the timing of the intervention immediately drew backlash from fans and fighters alike. Among the loudest critics was former BMF champion Jorge Masvidal, who did not hold back in a fiery rant following the fight, branding Dean the worst referee in the sport over what he viewed as a dangerously delayed stoppage.

Jorge Masvidal Calls Out Herb Dean for Late Stoppage in Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Dan Hooker

In the co-main event in Sydney, Dan Hooker was overwhelmed in the second round, ultimately absorbing a vicious ground-and-pound assault from Benoit Saint-Denis. Following the brutal sequence, former welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal took aim at veteran referee Herb Dean, strongly criticizing his role in allowing the punishment to continue.

Saint-Denis secured the victory via second-round TKO after relentlessly attacking Hooker during the finishing sequence, alternating between head-and-arm choke attempts while unloading elbows and punches from full mount.

In Masvidal’s view, the stoppage came far too late. “As I’ve said my whole fcking career, Herb Dean is the worst referee to ever exist,” Masvidal said via Death Row MMA. 

 

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He added, “I mean, f***, bro, does he suck. Holy smokes, is he bad. A fighter, especially like Hooker, though he’s obviously on his way out, he’s not gonna quit. He’s not gonna tap. You’ve got to take that guy out.”

He continued, “He’s (Hooker) obviously in this position for over a minute-and-a-half, and he’s eating shots the whole time, from elbows to backfists to the face, getting choked, and then now the guy obviously has no energy because it took all of it to escape the choke. Now he’s stuck in that position.”

Masvidal concluded with, “He had maybe 15 unanswered shots and still nothing. Still had another 15 unanswered shots. Worst referee I’ve ever seen.”

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Despite the harsh criticism, Masvidal clarified that his frustration with Dean was strictly professional and not personal. He acknowledged that Dean is a good person outside the cage, but maintained that he does not meet his standards as a referee. The 55-year-old has been officiating professional MMA for more than 25 years and made his UFC refereeing debut in April 2004 at UFC 47. 

Over the years, he has overseen some of the biggest fights in UFC history, including Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock II at UFC 61, Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, and arguably the biggest MMA bout of all time, Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.