Veteran referee Herb Dean will be the third man in the octagon in the main fight of UFC 168. Photo: UFC/Disclosure
Considered by Dana White to be the best MMA referee on the planet, Herb Dean is confirmed by the Nevada Athletic Commission as the central referee for the rematch between Anderson Silva e Chris Weidman, at UFC 168. Interestingly, Dean had already been the third man in the octagon during the first duel between the two, in July of this year. The unusual decision to select the same judge for both fights was commented by Keith Kizer, executive director of the Athletic Commission.
“The first fight was quite strange and normally we don't recommend the same referee for a rematch. But we thought this time it would be quite appropriate”, said Keith, in an interview with the “MMA Junkie” website. For Dean, refereeing rematches, however, is nothing new. The judge was already responsible for conducting the two duels between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn and two of the three fights between Junior Gypsy e Cain Velazquez, for example.
In addition to the central referee, the Athletic Commission also appointed veterans Junichiro Kamijo, Chris Lee and Patricia Morse-Jarman as side judges for Anderson and Weidman's rematch. A UFC judge since 2004, Herb was also a professional fighter. “The Predator”, as he was known, ended his career with a record of two wins and three losses. As a referee, Dean had a remarkable episode in one of his first fights in Ultimate. In the dispute for the vacant heavyweight belt between Tim Sylvia and Frank mir, it was possible to hear him swear when he noticed that Sylvia's arm had broken during the submission, moments before stopping the fight and giving Mir the victory.
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