Longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) referee Herb Dean will officiate the upcoming Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov lightweight title fight, which tops the UFC 229 pay-per-view (PPV) fight card (see it), scheduled for Sat., Oct. 6, 2018 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That’s according to a unanimous vote by Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on Tuesday, which also named Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato, and Junichiro Kamijo as cageside judges for what is expected to be the most watched event in the promotion’s history.
While “Big” John McCarthy was the third man inside the Octagon for McGregor’s last two bouts, UFC 229 will mark the sixth time Dean has reffed a “Notorious” fight. His last appearance was the Irishman’s upset loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, also in Las Vegas.
Hopefully Dean will not be a factor in McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov, considering the stakes. A clean finish, or even a lopsided decision win is welcome in any contest, but the last thing anyone wants after all this hype is an early stoppage or controversial call.
Fingers crossed.