The incident at Shanghai’s Oriental Sports Center, where the UFC Fight Night headlined by Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong is taking place, has now sparked major outrage on social media. Herb Dean once again finds himself in the spotlight, this time over a delay in stopping a fight that put a fighter’s life at risk, just two weeks after he received accolades for a timely intervention.
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“Herb Dean casually sat there and waited for the sacrifice to the Blood Gods, and boy, they sure got it,” wrote veteran MMA writer Jed Meshew II.
Those comments center around the final moments of the main card bout between Ce Liu and Levi Rodrigues Jr. With half a minute left in the opening round, the Chinese fighter, making his promotional debut tonight, stopped the Brazilian fighter with a right hook.
Most fans and observers had Liu as the odds-on favorite to win the bout. But no one expected it would end so soon. What seems to have bothered many is that Rodrigues, who fell face-first on the mat, could have been saved from that misery much earlier.
While Rodrigues had his moments, they were brief, eventually leading to Lieu getting the upper hand and dropping the Brazilian. Though Rodrigues got up, it became clear which way the fight was headed. He appeared shaky and confused, seemingly fighting on instinct.
Given the way Rodrigues fell, concerns about his safety emerged. On social media, many felt Dean could have intervened much earlier when it became clear that Rodrigues was in a vulnerable position.
The latest incident comes two weeks after Dean received praise for stopping the fight between Esteban Ribovics and Edson Barboza. Getting the better of the Brazilian veteran, Ribovics had taken control. Following a heated exchange in the opening round that left Barboza suffering from a shin injury, the Argentine continued his attack well into the second round.
Herb Dean casually sat there and waited for the sacrifice to the Blood Gods, and boy they sure got it.
One and a half minutes into the round, Dean noticed that Barboza was offering no resistance. As a result, he decided to stop the fight.
But fans watching UFC Shanghai seemingly forgot about Dean’s recent intervention as they turned their criticism toward him.
Herb Dean once again becomes the target of fan outrage
“Herb Dean out here rooting for brain damage,” one user wrote. Sharing similar sentiments, another fan lamented, “So I hear Herb Dean nearly let another man die again 😭.”
These are, of course, subjective comments. However, they do not reflect Dean’s vast experience, both as a former fighter and now as a veteran match official. Letting a fighter get hurt in a fight is the last thing Dean, or for that matter, any referee, would want.
But the case for Dean becomes harder to dismiss given that a similar discrepancy was highlighted during the preliminary bout between Francesco Nuzzi and Long Xiao. Like Liu vs. Rodrigues Jr., this bout also ended in the opening minute of the first round after the Italian, who was making his promotional debut, pummeled Xiao with heavy shots.
It was a dramatic ending that saw a dazed Xiao rushing towards the exit. Some viewed it as Dean’s failure to notice the Chinese fighter’s condition, which could have worsened had a UFC official not stopped him.
Blaming Dean for the mishap, one user mocked, “I like how Herb just let him stumble so he can’t complain about the early stoppage.”
One user offered a blunt take, saying, “Herb Dean (is) just a spectator in there—he has no clue what to do anymore. Luckily, Rodriguez and Liu didn’t need an official. Swang and bang.”
Another user added, “Herb Dean is getting worse than Mario, bro. Wtf was that? Levi was out for 2 mins on the feet; why’d he want to see a dead body?”
Earlier this month at UFC Fight Night Vegas, Dean came under scrutiny for not deducting points from Brazilian fighter Guilherme Pat, who was observed holding the cage on a few occasions during the bout against Steven Asplund.
That incident followed another at UFC Fight Night Baku, where Dean was criticized for failing to penalize Shara Magomedov for reported infringements during the bout against Michel Pereira.
Dean has also faced criticism following the controversial fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane at the White House card. The Brazilian star lost the co-main event and later blamed him for derailing his hopes of becoming a champion in a third-weight class.
With several incidents now drawing attention to Dean’s officiating, the criticism has become a recurring issue.
While he could be excused for not making split-second decisions, repeated lapses in judgement that could put a fighter’s career and life at risk make the matter concerning.