Dana White loses his temper with Herb Dean after another refereeing error in the UFC: 'It's all screwed up'

Herb Dean in action during a UFC fight. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

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Dana White was quite angry with yet another mistake by Herb Dean. During an episode of Contender Series, aired last Tuesday (29), Ian Escuza hit Luca Borando with an illegal knee strike which, even though it was decisive for the end of the fight, went unnoticed by the referee. Subsequently, the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) reviewed the incident and upheld the technical knockout result.

In a press conference after the event, Dana White criticized Herb Dean's mistake and emphasized that the referee has extensive experience in the sport. The executive stated that Dean is not an inexperienced professional who still needs training and classified the episode as a serious refereeing error.

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“We keep spending money to fund these guys’ training so they can keep training. I don’t disagree with you. When you talk about it… Herb Dean has been here a long time. It’s not like he’s inexperienced and needs more work. He fucks everything up,” said Dana White.

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Herb Dean, illegal scam and controversy…🤷🏻‍♂️

Despite this, a good fight from 🇵🇪 Ian Escuza who pressured and dominated 🇮🇹 Luca Borando at the beginning of the 1st round. #DWCS pic.twitter.com/4mT8xL519r

— MMA Central (@acentraldomma) September 29, 2026

Contender Series: the main gateway to the UFC

Dana White's Contender Series has established itself as one of the main gateways to the UFC, revealing champions such as Sean O'Malley , Jamahal Hill , Carlos Ulberg , and Jack Della Maddalena , as well as names that have become prominent in the organization, such as Jean Silva , Carlos Prates , and Josh Hokit.

The program functions as a kind of selection process. Participants face each other in three-round fights, each lasting five minutes, but the objective goes beyond simply winning. To earn a contract with the UFC, fighters need to impress Dana White and convince the executive that they are ready to join the biggest MMA event in the world.

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