Ray Longo was not happy with the work of veteran UFC referee Herb Dean on Saturday.
The UFC Fight Night in Shanghai marked a successful event for ex-bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who co-headlined against Brian Ortega.
After Sterling’s defeat to Movsar Evloev late last year dented his push for two-division glory on MMA’s biggest stage, ‘Funk Master’ got back on track in China.
Weight issues for ‘T-City’ pushed their original featherweight contest to a catchweight of 153 pounds, but an unfazed Sterling still dominated Ortega for five rounds en route to a lopsided unanimous decision.
In the eyes of many, the bout lacked excitement. That was evidently a sentiment shared by the referee, who paused the co-main event in round five to issue Sterling a warning for inactivity.
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Coach Ray Longo slams Herb Dean for controversial warning to Aljamain Sterling
Many fans reacted with both confusion and frustration to the referee’s warning, with some even going as far as to call for Dean to be suspended after UFC Shanghai. And it is not just members of the fanbase who were left bemused by Dean’s officiating.
Having booked a vacation before Sterling vs Ortega came together, coach Ray Longo was not present in Shanghai to corner his man.
But that did not stop the famed trainer from tuning in, and he may have been shouting at his TV after seeing his man warned for inactivity in the fifth round of a fight which Sterling had largely dominated.
“Horrible call,” he wrote on X.
That was not the only post that made Longo’s fury clear.
In addition to sharing a number of comments regarding Dean’s work, the renowned coach replied “100 percent” to a post that described the veteran official as “the absolute worst” for warning Sterling for inactivity one week after Khamzat Chimaev’s control-heavy UFC 319 performance.
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Aljamain Sterling’s title shot plea falls flat
After getting the better of Ortega in Shanghai, Sterling boldly called for a shot at Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title.
That plea received immediate pushback from plenty of fans, with some claiming Dana White “would rather die” than grant Sterling’s wish.
Among those laughing off Sterling’s claim to a championship fight was the consensus top contender at 145 pounds, Lerone Murphy.
Having seemingly secured a shot himself by brutally knocking out Aaron Pico at UFC 319 earlier this month, Murphy reacted to Sterling’s comments with a simple but clear response.
“LOL,” the Englishman wrote on X.