UFC 278 saw one of the greatest come-from-behind victories. Although the victory was clean, the event altogether had a few moments which were a little controversial. 

The fight between Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili saw the Georgian spend the majority of the time in clinch control, with the referee separating them for lack of action.

Herb Dean’s response to Conor McGregor

Referee Herb Dean came out in an interview with Helen Yee sports and shed some light on the whole situation. The journalist read Conor McGregor’s tweet and asked, “I just wanted to get your thoughts on Conor’s statement and just kind of your take on that.”

Dean replied, “This sport is evolving and officiating is evolving, too. That’s not something we ignore and say, hey you know we’re not gonna look at that. Each position though and each situation is different.” 

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Dean added, “You know so, sometimes you cannot just make a blanket statement just always quicker.”

The referee also said that there should be discussion over the elements that a referee should look at before creating a separation between the fighters.

Herb Dean explains when to take a point away

The referee later also touched up upon fence grabbing. He said, “So fence grab is very difficult to deal with in the sport because it is a natural reaction. You know it’s going to happen.” 

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He said that taking a point away from a fight is not an easy decision. 

Herb Dean justified this statement by stating that most of the decisions wins are 29-28, so to take away a point means to take away a win from a fight. The ref said that until and unless a major foul is committed, the referee won’t take away a point. 

Herb then further expressed that some fouls are considered harmful fouls while some are not. So that needs to be considered as well before taking any action. 

Herb Dean is considered one of the best referees in the business and also happens to provide refereeing courses online. Like the ref rightly pointed out, the sport is evolving and so is officiating. Maybe with time, we may see changes that don’t offend as many fans. 

What’s one rule that you would like to change in MMA?

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