Longtime mixed martial arts referee John McCarthy said Herb Dean did everything right in the main event of UFC 300.
Dean served as the referee for the light heavyweight title fight in which Alex Pereira defended his 205-pound title for the first time against former champion Jamahal Hill.
In the opening round, Hill kicked Pereira low and when Herb Dean tried to intervene and pause the action, “Poitan” shook him off and knocked out the challenger just seconds later.
After the knockout, some fans complained that Dean should have stopped the match even momentarily to reset, which could have led to Hill being caught seconds later. But according to John McCarthy, Dean did everything perfectly.
Hearing people who supposedly know the sport of MMA denigrate the practice of MMA is inherently bad for the sport and incredibly embarrassing. @HerbDeanMMA As if he was responsible for the knockout. @JamahalH @ufc 300.
Let's make this as clear as possible to everyone. Herbs are…— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) April 18, 2024
“Hearing people who supposedly know the sport of MMA denigrate the practice of MMA is inherently bad for the sport and incredibly embarrassing.” @HerbDeanMMA As if he was responsible for the knockout. @JamahalH @ufc300. Let's make this as clear as possible to everyone.Herb's actions in giving permission were perfect. @AlexPereiraUFC The kick to the groin he received canceled the timeout and allowed the game to continue. “A player who is fouled for a blow to the groin has control over how long it takes him to adequately recover from that foul,” John McCarthy wrote. X.
“You're given up to five minutes if you want. Often fighters don't want to stop the fight because they feel they've gained momentum during a fight and don't want to give their opponent any time.” Herb Everything Dean did was exactly what an official would be trained to do under the same circumstances. Fortunately, instead of a talker guessing what's right or wrong, he won a world title. “There were officials in the cage who understood the rules and mechanics needed to run a fight well,” McCarthy continued.
As John McCarthy writes, it's up to Alex Pereira and Herb Dean made the right decision to allow the fight to continue at UFC 300, as he has made it clear he doesn't need a break.
