MMA legend lashes out at UFC refereeing: 'If Herb Dean is the standard, everything is a joke'

Herb Dean is one of the most well-known referees in the world. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

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Definitely, Henry Cejudo He is not at all happy with Herb Dean's recent controversies. The former flyweight (up to 56,7 kg) and bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg) champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), "Triple C," has been blasting not only the referee, but the entire structure of the sport during the last edition of... Espaitec's 'Pound 4 Pound' this Thursday (2). In addition to the situation with Alex Poatán e Cyryl Gane No. UFC White House, the defeat of Michael Pereira all with Shara Magomedov This appears to have been one of the triggers for the former fighter's revolt.

According to Cejudo, the recent criticism of Herb Dean exposes a crisis in the sport's refereeing system as a whole. Despite the criticism, Dean is one of the sport's most experienced referees and has been present at some of the most important fights of all time.

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“If Herb Dean is the standard of officiating at the highest level, this is all a joke. I understand that in the case of (Alex) Pereira there are two or three fouls, the issue of movement and blah, blah, blah. But when hair is held and pulled and that's seen as an accident, that's a farce,” he stated.

Henry Cejudo sounds off on Herb Dean, saying officiating at the highest level needs improvement.

“If Herb Dean is the gold standard of what officiating is, then the whole f***ing game is a f***ing joke.”

(via @pound4poundshow ) pic.twitter.com/9TdkjeWUAg

— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) July 2, 2026

In addition to criticizing Herb Dean, Cejudo cited Brazil as a third-world country.

Henry Cejudo poses next to Patrick Pitbull. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Beyond the result itself, Cejudo also made a point of mentioning the financial difference caused by the defeat. In addition to the standard match ball, athletes usually receive double the amount in case of victory. In this context, the referee's mistake would have profoundly affected the payment of the Flying Paraense.

“We, as fighters, lose half our pay when we lose. He pulled his hair twice and had a finger poked in his eye in the third round. He should have lost two points. If he had lost two points, that would have allowed (Michel) Pereira to return home to Brazil, a third-world country, as the winner and able to provide for his family. But what happened? He lost that because the referee didn't have the courage to stop it,” he blasted.