Referee Herb Dean is once again in the spotlight, this time for the decision he took at the final preliminary bout at UFC Fight Night Vegas. Headlined by Mateusz Gamrot and Quillan Salkilld, the card has come under scrutiny for the way Dean handled the bout between Steven Asplund and Guilherme Pat.

“Would be nice if Herb Dean took points when fighters cheated,” read veteran MMA writer Adam Martin’s X post.

As the odds-on favorite, the American heavyweight won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring in his favor. The events leading to his eventual victory, however, drew attention after Pat was reportedly found grabbing the cage on two occasions. Many felt Herb Dean should have penalized the Brazilian, as under the Unified Rules of MMA, holding or grabbing the fence with fingers or toes to prevent a takedown, maintain balance, or alter position is an explicit foul. Yet, the fight was allowed to proceed without a point deduction.

Looking to improve their rankings in the heavyweight division, both Asplund and Pat entered the bout on the back of a loss.

As the fight progressed, the Brazilian, who seemingly wanted to avenge his recent loss to Thomas Petersen—Asplund’s team member—appeared more than eager to improve his lot, even if that meant using some underhanded tactics.

It was Asplund, who came off a loss to Vitor Petrino, who constantly applied the pressure. As he started gaining control, Pat resorted to clinches. The back-and-forth saw both heavyweights drop each other.

The sequence that has become the center of discussion on social media took place in the second round when, after watching Pat holding the cage for the second time, Dean finally warned him and had them reset instead of a point deduction as is the norm.

The referee may slap the fighter’s hands if he deems it an involuntary reaction. The referee, however, can deduct a point if the fence grab leads to a stop in a takedown or changes the position. In the latter case, where a significant change in position has occurred, the referee usually, after deducting a point, stops the bout momentarily and resets the fighters from a neutral position.

Given those conditions, Pat’s repeated infringements should have invited a point being taken down, many believe.

In the end, none that mattered, as Asplund impressed the judges, who awarded him the decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 on all three scorecards. Yet, to some fans, Dean fell short in a fight critical for both the heavyweights, who are relatively new to the UFC.

Herb Dean comes under fire at UFC Vegas

“Pat drops Asplund after getting a warning about fence grabbing!! Asplund back to his feet, and Pat grabs the top of the cage now!! Another warning from Herb Dean!!!” wrote one. Another added, “Pat drops Asplund after Herb Dean separates the two for Pat grabbing the fence.”

Beyond those comments, a string of criticisms followed.

“That’s what I’m saying, like, wtf was that. Two infractions back-to-back, and that second one was blatant. No accountability whatsoever,” one user wrote.

To be fair, given he’s the only person inside the cage besides the fighters, Dean has the best view of a fight, as it moves through its highs and lows. Yet the comment carries weight, considering Dean has faced heavy criticism recently over his questionable officiating.

A month ago, at the UFC Baku on June 27, Shara Magomedov was repeatedly seen grabbing Michel Pereira’s hair, leading to an eye-poking incident as well. Despite those fouls, Dean reportedly warned the Russian instead of deducting a point. Magomedov eventually won by unanimous decision, with all the judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favor, and Pereira was subsequently dropped from the UFC roster. Some fans speculated that had Dean penalized the Russian, the scorecard could have been different, with the fight ending in a draw and the Brazilian may have remained with the promotion.

Echoing similar concerns, another fan wrote, “Pat is a cheating scumbag. Why does Herb give him 2 warnings in the span of a minute? TAKE A POINT AWAY.”

Beyond those emotions, Dean found himself at the center of a major controversy when he officiated the co-main fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane at the UFC Freedom 250. The Brazilian lost the bout that could have created history and later blamed Dean for playing a big role in that setback as a result of his inability to prevent illegal shots to the back of Pereira’s head.

Another teased. “Says ‘one more time,’ as in he’s gonna take a point the next time he does it and then just proceeds to do nothing again 😭😭.”

Taken together, the fight, while ending on expected lines, appears to raise yet another question about Dean.

While Dean may have his reasons for the judgements he needs to make in a fraction of seconds, fans’ concerns center on how critical decisions could affect the careers of fighters, who have put in countless hours in the gym and training camps only to be surprised by a missed foul or a delayed intervention.