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 | 225 lb (102 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 |
Herbert Dean (born September 30, 1970) is a well-known mixed martial arts (MMA) referee and a former MMA fighter from the United States. He has worked at big events for organizations like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ONE Championship. Many people, including UFC president Dana White and commentator Joe Rogan, say that Herb Dean is one of the best referees in MMA.
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Herb Dean's Referee Work
Herb Dean is known for making important decisions during fights. Sometimes these decisions are praised, and sometimes they cause debate.
Key Fights and Decisions
Sylvia vs. Mir (UFC 48)
At UFC 48 in 2004, Dean was the referee for a fight between Tim Sylvia and Frank Mir. During the first round, Dean stopped the fight because he saw Sylvia's arm break from a move called an armbar. Sylvia argued that his arm was fine and wanted to keep fighting.
However, Dean insisted he heard and saw the arm snap. A doctor at the fight agreed with Dean. Later, replays and an X-ray showed that Sylvia's arm was indeed badly broken. Sylvia later thanked Dean for stopping the fight, saying it saved his career.
Ortiz vs. Shamrock (UFC 61)
In 2006, Dean refereed a big rematch between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock at UFC 61. Dean stopped the fight in the first round 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 fought again later, and Ortiz won in a similar way, but Shamrock did not argue that time.
Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga (UFC 70)
At UFC 70 in 2007, Dean was the referee for the fight between Mirko Cro Cop and Gabriel Gonzaga. Late in the first round, Dean made the fighters stand up from the ground. Some people thought Gonzaga was doing well on the ground and should not have been made to stand up.
Soon after, Gonzaga knocked out Filipović with a kick to the head. When Filipović fell, his foot got stuck. Dean quickly helped free his foot, which likely prevented a serious injury.
Praises and Criticisms
UFC president Dana White has often called Dean "the best referee in this business." White said that after the Mir vs. Sylvia fight, he trusts Dean's decisions.
However, Dean has also faced criticism for some of his decisions. At UFC 169, some people, including Dana White, disagreed with his decision to stop the fight between Renan Barão and Urijah Faber.
Later, at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik, Dean was criticized for stopping a fight between Khalid Murtazaliev and C. B. Dollaway too late. At UFC 235, Dean's decision to award a win to Ben Askren by a move called a bulldog choke against Robbie Lawler also drew criticism from Dana White.
At UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till, Dean was criticized again for a late stoppage in a fight between Francisco Trinaldo and Jai Herbert. This led to a heated discussion between Dean and UFC commentator Dan Hardy.
Khabib vs. McGregor (UFC 229)
In 2018, Dean refereed one of the most anticipated fights ever: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor at UFC 229. After the fight, a video showed Dean talking with Khabib about some moves that were not called during the match. Dean joked about not being "well-compensated" for such a big fight, showing his good humor.
Awards
Herb Dean has won many awards for being a great referee. He has won Fighters Only Magazine's World MMA Awards Referee of the Year multiple times. He won in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024. The only year he missed out on the award since it started was in 2015, when ”Big” John McCarthy won.
Herb Dean's Fighting Record
Before becoming a full-time referee, Herb Dean was also a professional MMA fighter. His record was 2 wins and 3 losses. He won one fight by submission and another by technical knockout.
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 5 matches | 2 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 2 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2–3 | Dave Legeno | TKO (eye injury) | Cage Rage 22: Hard as Hell | July 14, 2007 | 1 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Loss | 2–2 | Choi Jung-gyu | Submission (keylock) | Spirit MC 9: Welterweight GP Opening | October 8, 2006 | 2 | 3:51 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| Win | 2–1 | Timothy Mendoza | TKO (knee and punches) | KOTC 39: Hitmaster | August 6, 2004 | 2 | 3:31 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Joe Riggs | TKO (submission to punches) | Rage in the Cage 43: The Match | January 18, 2003 | 1 | 0:52 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Randy Halmot | Submission (front choke) | Gladiator Challenge 6 | September 9, 2001 | 1 | 0:43 | Colusa, California, United States |
In Other Media
Herb Dean is so well-known that he 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.
See also
In Spanish: Herb Dean para niños
- List of male mixed martial artists
