Referee Herb Dean addressed the backlash he received for his handling of the UFC 300 main event, Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill.
The veteran MMA referee, considered one of the elite when it comes to officiating, stopped the light heavyweight title bout in April in the nick of time when champion Pereira rained down punches on Hill to win by first-round knockout. But it wasn't Dean stopping the bout that people took issue with.
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The controversy surrounding Hill in the main event of UFC 300 actually began when she landed a kick that grazed Pereira's groin just before the bout was stopped. Dean tried to stop the fight for a low blow, but Pereira put his hand up to tell the referee he wanted to continue, and the referee awarded Hill the loss, shortly after which he was knocked down by a powerful left punch.
Hill, along with Daniel Cormier and others, took issue with Dean not separating him and Pereira, but rather keeping them close together.
“If there was anything Herb Dean could have done, it was a cleaner, better reset. I think that's one of the things I wish we'd seen differently,” Hill said of his TKO loss at UFC 300.Schmo'.
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Two months after arguably the biggest event in UFC history, Herb Dean looks back on his decision and whether it was the right one.
“I don't think Jamahal Hill hates me,” Dean said.Casuals MMA Podcast“Whether he hates me or not, I have a lot of respect for him. The guy's a bit of a dog. The funniest part about this? After I call timeout, nobody moves…”
“I went back and watched it, and it immediately made me think, 'Huh? How was it? Was it mechanically correct? Was it clean?' I watched it. I thought, 'Yeah, it looked clean.' And I heard some analysts talking about it and talking about something that you don't actually see. They say, 'What if he could have gotten into position after he called the timeout and we didn't see it happen?' But he goes, 'Well, I have to say he did it to get clicks.'”
Dean continued.
“For me, I know my job and my focus is to officiate the cleanest game possible. Some people who work in sports may know their job is to get clicks. The truth is, it doesn't matter. God bless them, because most of us are so boring. Some of these people are happy to be here, even if it's at my expense.”
Moving from UFC 300 to UFC 303, Jamahal Hill has withdrawn from the co-main event against Carlos Ulberg due to a knee injury, and arch rival Alex Pereira will take the place of Conor McGregor, who will defend his light heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka in a rematch in the new main event.
What did you think of Herb Dean's performance at UFC 300? Do you think it was the right call to put Alex Pereira in the fight right after Jamahal Hill's low blow?
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