Don’t mess with longtime referee Herb Dean in the cage.
Herb Dean is known as one of the veteran presences of the UFC Octagon dating back almost three decades. Dean is usually at the center of some of the biggest UFC fights in the promotion’s history, including the infamous UFC 229 headliner between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
Dean made his UFC officiating debut at UFC 47, headlined by the light heavyweight grudge match between former teammates Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Liddell knocked out Ortiz in the second round in one of the most iconic finishes in UFC history.
Just months before kicking off his famed UFC officiating career, Dean was a dangerous fighter competing in regional promotions. While Dean is mostly known for his officiating tenure, he was a dangerous fighter during his five-fight professional career.
Herb Dean was a solid MMA fighter before kicking off legendary officiating career
Dean looked to bounce back from a nasty knockout loss to future UFC fighter Joe Riggs by facing Tim Mendoza at King of the Cage 39 in August 2004. Dean and Mendoza clashed in a heavyweight fight featuring two promising prospects.
Dean wasted little time controlling Mendoza in the cage, initiating a clinch just seconds into the fight. Dean landed a big takedown on Mendoza before landing a few devastating ground-and-pound shots that stunned his opponent early on.
Mendoza was visibly exhausted after Round 1 due to Dean’s relentless pressure and grappling. In the second round, Dean didn’t let off the gas pedal.
Dean stifled Mendoza with a big leg kick that wobbled the heavyweight prospect badly. Midway through the round, Dean initiated a Thai clinch before landing a brutal knee to Mendoza’s chin.
Dean would finish the fight with a nasty left hook that dropped Mendoza against the cage, before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Watch Dean secure the finish below.
Dean’s win over Mendoza would end up being the final win of his professional MMA career, before dropping consecutive fights to Choi Jung-Gyu and Dave Legeno. Dean suffered a significant eye injury against Legeno that forced him to focus full-time on officiating.
21 years later and Dean remains one of the most respected officials in MMA. But even the greatest referees like Dean have slip-ups, as we saw last weekend at UFC 317.
Herb Dean was at the center of one of UFC 317’s biggest controversies
UFC middleweight Gregory Rodrigues landed one of the most brutal knockouts of the year by finishing Jack Hermansson at UFC 317. After Rodrigues’s win, Hermansson underwent significant medical evaluation after he was out cold for several minutes.
Some top analysts, including Daniel Cormier, scolded Dean for failing to react quickly enough to Hermansson being knocked out cold. Rodrigues landed a late punch that was deemed ‘unnecessary’ by viewers watching the fight.
Dean was the subject of intense criticism from Joe Rogan for his officiating performance during Merab Dvalishvili‘s win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. Throughout the five-round fight, Dean pleaded with Dvalishvili to ‘work’ at a higher output level while controlling O’Malley on the ground.
UFC CEO Dana White has also had his differences with Dean throughout their careers, despite referring to Dean as the ‘gold standard’ of MMA officiating.
The 54-year-old Dean isn’t slowing down his officiating career anytime soon, and still trains in MMA during his downtime. After watching Dean’s skills that he showcased in the above clip, fighters would be wise not to test him.
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