Cejudo Slams Herb Dean After a String of Errors in UFC Fights
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo got straight to the point: if Herb Dean represents the highest standard of refereeing in MMA, then the sport has a serious problem. The outburst came after a month full of controversy involving the American referee, who declined to deduct points in at least three high-profile fights.
Three fights, three controversies
In little more than a month, Dean found himself at the center of similar situations across different bouts. In the clash between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, in Andre Fili’s fight against Vinicius Oliveira, and in Michel Pereira’s meeting with Shara Magomedov, the referee chose not to punish the athletes who committed fouls. In all three cases, the losing fighters complained that the infractions — which included hair-pulling, eye-poking, and other irregularities — were not properly penalized. Because officiating standards shape the outcome of every card, fans worldwide follow these debates closely.
The lack of intervention sparked outrage backstage and on social media. But it was Cejudo who voiced the criticism most forcefully.
Cejudo did not hold back
On his Pound 4 Pound podcast, alongside former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, the former flyweight and bantamweight king was blunt. According to him, in Pereira’s fight there were two hair-pulls and an eye-poke in the third round — which, if properly penalized, would have led to a two-point deduction and reversed the official result.
“We, as fighters, lose half our money when we lose. If the deduction had happened — which it should have, there were two hair-pulls and an eye-poke in the third round — Pereira would be declared the winner. He’d go back to Brazil and could give his family a better life. But what happens? He loses half of what he should earn because the referee didn’t have the courage to act. If he’s the gold standard of refereeing, then this sport is a joke,” said the former champion.
Dean remains assigned to the biggest fights
Despite the growing criticism, the athletic commissions responsible for officiating still consider Dean one of the most reliable referees in the business — and refereeing remains one of the most thankless jobs in the sport. Decisions must be made in fractions of a second, in a chaotic environment, and any mistake goes viral instantly. Yet Dean’s recent pattern raises an objective question: if clear infractions go unpunished, athletes naturally realize they can commit fouls without real consequences. And that puts both the integrity of the fights and the safety of the competitors at risk.
