Herb Dean facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Herb Dean |
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Dean in 2019
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| Born | September 30, 1970 Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Residence | Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | United states |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Division | Heavyweight (265 lb) |
| Style | Mixed martial arts |
| Fighting out of | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Team | Submission Factory |
| Years active | 2001–2007 (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 5 |
| Wins | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 2 |
Herb Dean (born September 30, 1970) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) referee. He was also a mixed martial artist himself. Dean has worked at big events for organizations like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ONE Championship. Many people in the MMA world consider him one of the best referees.
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Herb Dean's Referee Work in UFC
Herb Dean is known for making important decisions during fights. Sometimes these decisions are praised, and sometimes they cause debate.
Key Fights Herb Dean Refereed
Sylvia vs. Mir: A Quick Stop
At UFC 48 in 2004, Dean was the referee for a fight between Tim Sylvia and Frank Mir. Mir used a move called an armbar on Sylvia. Dean quickly stopped the fight when he saw Sylvia's right forearm break.
Sylvia tried to argue that he was fine and wanted to keep fighting. But Dean insisted that he had heard and seen the arm break. A doctor at the ringside agreed with Dean. Later, an X-ray showed Sylvia's arm was indeed badly injured. Sylvia later thanked Dean for stopping the fight, saying it saved his career.
Ortiz vs. Shamrock: Unanswered Strikes
At UFC 61 in 2006, Dean refereed a big rematch between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. Dean stopped the fight after Ortiz landed several hits to Shamrock's head without Shamrock being able to defend himself. Ortiz won by TKO (Technical Knockout).
Shamrock was upset about the decision, but it was not changed. They had another fight later, where Ortiz won again in a similar way.
Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga: Preventing Injury
At UFC 70 in 2007, Dean was the referee for the fight between Mirko Cro Cop and Gabriel Gonzaga. Dean decided to make the fighters stand up from the ground during the first round. Soon after, Gonzaga knocked out Filipović with a kick to the head.
When Filipović fell, his foot got stuck awkwardly under his body. Dean quickly helped free his foot, which likely prevented a serious injury.
UFC President's View on Dean
Dana White, the president of the UFC, has often said that he believes Herb Dean is the best referee in the business. White mentioned that after the Mir vs. Sylvia fight, he learned to trust Dean's judgment. He said Dean "sees stuff that I can't see."
Times Dean's Decisions Were Debated
Even the best referees face criticism sometimes. At UFC 169, Dean's decision to stop the fight between Renan Barão and Urijah Faber caused some debate, with Dana White saying Dean "made a mistake."
Dean also received criticism for late stoppages in other fights. These included a fight between Khalid Murtazaliev and C. B. Dollaway at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik. At UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till, Dean's stoppage in the fight between Francisco Trinaldo and Jai Herbert was also debated. He even had a disagreement with a UFC commentator about it.
At UFC 235, Dean was criticized by Dana White for his decision in the fight between Ben Askren and Robbie Lawler.
Khabib vs. McGregor: A Huge Fight
At UFC 229 in 2018, Herb Dean refereed one of the most anticipated fights ever: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor. After the fight, a video showed Dean talking with Khabib about some moves that were not called during the match.
Awards and Recognition
Herb Dean has won the Fighters Only Magazine's World MMA Awards for Referee of the Year many times. He won in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024. In 2015, he did not win the award, which went to ”Big” John McCarthy.
Herb Dean in Video Games
Herb Dean has been featured as a referee in the EA Sports UFC video game series. By EA Sports UFC 5, he was the only referee shown in all the fights in the game.
Images for kids
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Dean in 2019
See also
In Spanish: Herb Dean para niños
