Henry Cejudo looks worried. As much as Herb Dean‘s decisions could affect a fighter’s career, they pose a much greater risk in that a fighter’s life could hang in the balance. Before things reach that point, Cejudo and perhaps many others believe it’s better to relieve Dean of his current role.
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“I’m speaking of robbery,” Cejudo told Kamaru Usman on Pound 4 Pound. “I mean, your boy Herb Dean, I want to call him Herb Dean, but it’s more like Herb Dean. That dude has just been f**k man. He’s got it. It’s ridiculous, dude. It’s ridiculous that the Nevada State Athletic Commission, that he still even has a job, in my opinion, you know?
“Like, nobody, nobody likes this dude no more. Nobody. They show him on camera; he’s getting booed. It’s ridiculous, dude. Like no accountability now whatsoever, bro. It’s a f**k mafia.”
Cejudo’s thoughts came after a discussion over the increasing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the sport. While Usman disagreed, saying it is difficult to replace a human judge with the technology, Cejudo claimed AI’s usage would reduce the margin of errors frequently witnessed considerably.
As a result of incorrect refereeing, many fighters have been “robbed” of a fair decision, Cejudo claimed. According to him, in many instances, the referee made a decision based on his personal assessment of a fighter.
Cejudo clarified that his concerns against Dean did not stem from the UFC 332 incident alone.
Fighting on the main card of the event headlined by Natalia Silva and Cong Wang, popular lightweight fighter King Green suffered a shocking first-round defeat to Esteban Ribovics. The Argentine dropped Green several times before the fight before Dean stopped the fight.
Green was not so happy with Dean’s decision, as he felt he could have put Ribovics on the back foot.
“I told myself regardless or not, I’m not going to be mad at myself, but I’m a little mad. I told Herb, ‘This is going to get sticky. Let me go out on my shield,'” Green said. “I was still fine. I wanted to keep fighting. I feel like we were getting somewhere. It was a great fight.”
To Henry Cejudo, Dean stopping Green 4 minutes into the opening round wasn’t that alarming when compared to the incidents that unfolded at the Contender Series.
Fighting against Luca Borando, Canadian Ian Escuza drew considerable scrutiny after he landed a knee while the Italian fighter had already touched the canvas. Escuza was declared a winner and won the UFC contract after Dean and the Nevada State Athletic Commission reviewed the fight’s final moment.
However, Dean’s conduct failed to escape UFC CEO Dana White’s scrutiny. “Herb Dean has been around for a long f**king time. It’s not like he’s green and he needs some work. He f**ked up,” White said later.
Though he’s no longer with the UFC, Cejudo echoed White’s sentiment, saying Dean should have stopped the fight right at the point when Borando’s knee touched the canvas.
Under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, a fighter is grounded when a body part other than the hands or feet touches the canvas. Knees and kicks to the head delivered in that situation are then illegal, while body strikes remain permitted, subject to other fouls.
Pointing to the discrepancy, Cejudo felt Dean should have stopped the fight, which should have subsequently been declared a no contest.
Beyond Henry Cejudo: Herb Dean in the crosshairs
Herb Dean’s 2026 campaign has been marked by several officiating disputes across major MMA events, putting renewed attention on one of the sport’s most recognizable referees.
What adds a layer to the situation is that criticisms have come from different directions. Fighters, executives, analysts, and former champions have all questioned separate decisions.
Perhaps the case that put the spotlight on Dean was the Alex Pereira-Ciryl Gane clash at the White House card. The Brazilian star accused Gane of landing illegal blows near the back of his head during the finishing sequence of the fight, which ended up in a loss. Pereira later complained that Dean should have intervened.
The Baku event involving Michel Pereira brought another rules-related dispute. Dean issued a warning over hair pulling and eye poking but stopped short of taking away a point from Sharaputdin “Shara Bullet” Magomedov, a decision Pereira later argued had consequences on the scorecards.
Not that Dean is the only referee in the UFC to have faced criticism.
Dan Miragliotta’s UFC Vancouver performance added another chapter to the long history of contentious MMA officiating. His intervention during Kyle Nelson vs. Matt Frevola created confusion when he appeared ready to stop the contest before allowing it to continue, despite Nelson having Frevola under serious trouble.
Later, Miragliotta’s handling of the low blow in the Mike Malott-Kevin Holland bout drew further scrutiny.
Chris Tognoni’s mistaken low-blow ruling in Ed Herman vs. Mike Rodriguez gave the former recovery time before he eventually submitted Rodriguez. Mario Yamasaki perhaps faced the strongest backlash after allowing Valentina Shevchenko to inflict prolonged unanswered damage on Priscilla Cachoeira, prompting Dana White to call for Yamasaki’s removal from refereeing UFC fights.
Taken together, Henry Cejudo’s call-out for Dean’s removal is based on a broader pattern that has played out over months rather than a personal grudge.