Winner of Referee of the Year in the World MMA Awards in 2010, Herb Dean is one of the most respected refs in mixed martial arts, overseeing more than 4700 professional fights in his 12-year career. Plus, he’s been highly touted as the best in the game by Ultimate Fighting Championship’s President, Dana White.
Regarding the UFC 131 main event between Junior Dos Santos and Shane Carwin to determine the number one contender in the heavyweight division, some believed that the fight should’ve been stopped in the opening round.
As a former fighter himself, the Pasadena born ref was extremely close in ending the match, as Carwin was being controlled and punched incessantly by Junior. However, Dean felt that Shane still had the means to continue.
According to an MMAJunkie article by Steve Marrocco, “I was definitely very close to stopping the fight,” said the 40-year old ref. “Maybe one more unblocked punch I would have, but I’m always looking for a reason to allow a fight to continue.”
As told to interviewer Mike Straka on Tapout’s Youtube channel, “He was moving to better his position, and eventually he was able to get to a place where he was defending the blows and was able to come back,” Dean said.
Martial arts and self defense has been a significant part of Herb Dean’s life, as he began training as a child. Prior to his professional MMA career, his training included kickboxing, submission wrestling and judo. With a great deal of knowledge of a variety of skills, he feels that competitive experience should be required for MMA referees and judges.
In an interview on TheOpenMat.com, Dean explained:
“I think you should at least know the techniques that the guys are doing. MMA is a new sport. There are some officials that have experience, but the competition is beyond their time. Their competitive age is over. A good martial artist might make a good official without necessarily having to have competed in MMA.”
Since refereeing his first event in 1999 at King of the Cage, Herb’s years of experience have given him the confidence to trust his instincts and to make firm, decisive choices. He has always stood by his instincts, without any regret.
“I’m well aware of the fact I’m the one who’s in there making the decisions and the choices and I’m the one who’s gonna have to live with them,” he told Mike Straka. “I definitely want to make the decisions that I want.”
Though considered “the best referee in the business” by Dana White, Dean has had his share of controversy. He was once booed in UFC 61, as he stopped a bout between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock in the opening round, giving Tito the victory.
As the officiating of MMA events continues to advance, judging versus refereeing seems to perpetually be in the spotlight.
“I think there’s always going to be controversial decisions. Judging is pretty subjective. It’s someone’s opinion of who won the fight,” Dean told OpenMat.com.
“I think that the biggest thing is making sure that athletic commissions are getting more qualified officials, and continue to review the problems we have and correct them. This is a growing sport and we haven’t seen everything that’s going to happen. There’s always something new that someone’s going to do.”
To remedy the persistent criticism received by MMA officiating, Herb feels that education is the best method to improve the quality, as he and fellow ref Big John McCarthy hold judging and refereeing classes in Southern California.
While guiding new students, Dean feels his teaching position has helped him in the octagon.
“You really have to be on your game when you’re teaching these people who want to get into the sport,” Dean told Mike Straka. “I have to be prepared when I do my class.”
“Teaching is definitely making me better.”
-ROLAND RISO
MMAIDIOT.COM
Roland Riso is a contributing writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained from MMAJunkie.com, TheOpenMat.com and Mike Straka’s interview on Tapout’s Youtube.com channel.
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