UFC star Dan Hardy slams referee Herb Dean for late stoppage in Francisco Trinaldo-Jai Herbert fight
UFC referee Herb Dean has been called out by former UFC commentators and fighters for the very late stoppage of the Francisco Trinaldo and Jai Herbert fight in a UFC Fight Night event on Fight Island on Saturday, July 25. Fans of the martial arts fight have even asked that he be fired from the job.
This even enraged former MMA professional and co-commentator of the match Dan Hardy who was quite vocal in his criticism about the passive behavior of Dean as a referee in the fight. Speaking during the ESPN Broadcast, Hardy said "That fight was over! That's terrible." His fellow commentator Paul Felder said, "That pisses me off. You know, that's not normally Herb. Herb is usually a fine referee."
He added, "He's a young guy making his debut, and Trinaldo rocks him. He falls back the way he falls back like a board. He was out." With the latest win, Trinaldo reached a record of 26 wins against seven losses. MMA junkies also denounced Dean's inaction in acting as a referee and one of them tweeted, "I will always respect Dan Hardy for getting extremely pissed when he sees a stoppage like that. no excuse."
One fan went to the extent of demanding that the referee be fired. "Fire Herb Dean man he was clearly out and let it continue smfh." Another tweeted, "Reminder that Herb Dean is NOT the gold standard in UFC or MMA officiating." He mentioned how he is responsible for "3 terrible stoppages in 2019. I can think of like 5 others off the top of my head."
One MMA fan reacted, “It always amazes me that people think Herb Dean is a good ref... guys been bad for years." Another MMA junkie appreciated how fans and commentators and UFC experts are calling such behavior out. "Feel like most of the UFC color guys get pissed at stoppages like that. I like that they're willing to criticize the refs." Most of the fans voiced how "Herb is as terrible as always."
Defending Dean, Dave Doyle, Senior Editor at MMA Junkie tweeted, how "Joe Lauzon decided he was done punching Takanori Gomi before Herb Dean stopped the fight, five years ago today." Many fans disagreed with this apparent defense and tweeted how ruthlessness in martial arts can pose a threat to life. "Normally I would agree, but we're dealing with potential life-altering hits here."
Fans supported Dan for calling Dean out. One tweeted, “Dan isn’t just an official - in the most literal sense in this moment he was, yes. But he is a fighter. He's been viciously KO’d and faced the consequences and suffering. I don’t begrudge him letting his emotions get the better of him there. Not one bit."