Referee Herb Dean Responds to Backlash from UFC 306 Main Event

Referee Herb Dean explains why he kept calling for action from Merab Dvalishvili in his fight vs. Sean O'Malley at UFC 306.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

A lot was made of the UFC 306 main event, especially the officiating.

Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili were the two men on the marquee for Noche UFC at Sphere, colliding for the bantamweight championship of the world just a couple of weeks ago with Dvalishvili's wrestling and pace reigning supreme in a lopsided decision victory.

Sep 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Sean OíMalley of the United States (red gloves) fights Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili wasnñt what you'd call a Fight of the Year candidate with the bantamweights receiving a fair share of criticism for how the bout played out, whether it was for O'Malley's inactivity or Dvalishvili's inability to get the finish in five rounds.

The third man in the Octagon, Herb Dean, wasn't absent of criticism either in the UFC 306 main event. Dean had to stop O'Malley's coach Tim Welch and Dvalishvili from talking to each other mid-fight, as well as having to tell Dvalishvili to stop kissing "Suga" on his neck at the end of Round 2.

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Dean: "I'm Looking For Effort To Finish The Fight..."

Dean caught flack for another moment in the fight where Dvalishvili was outworking O'Malley from a dominant position with the referee telling him he had to "work" in this position repeatedly as a warning to not take away his position, resetting the fighters on the feet.

😳 KAMARU USMAN GOES OFF on HERB DEAN for his officiating in the late rounds of O Malley vs Merab @ #NocheUFC

He also remembers when Herb Dean broke him and Leon up late , then resulting in the head kick heard around the world …

🤯 pic.twitter.com/IoU1J95AQ6

— SU 🥋 (@Nolimitsu_) September 16, 2024

"I've seen on social media people have spoken about me calling the fighters to act more, for more action, and that's what I've always done," Dean told Helen Yee in a recent interview.

"I'm looking for effort to finish the fight. So, you're either to posture to where you can throw potentially set up fight ending attacks or advance your position because it's not as easy as just passing the guard, but effort to pass, effort to advance your position, effort to bring the fight to a finish. Those rules are there. That rule was put in, standing up fighters, to make our sport look the way we want it to look.

UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"We Want It To Look Like The Fights On The Contender Series"

It's no secret UFC fans come for the finishes, the flashy knockouts, the slick submissions - something that's been missing from Dvalishvili's highlight reel as of late, having one stoppage win in the last seven years.

In contrast to O'Malley, who won his contract on Contender Series, Dvalishvili was actually signed to the UFC off of Dana White's Lookin' For A Fight with a spinning backfist KO of former Bellator Champion Raufeon Stots.

Dean says that's exactly what the UFC is looking for from their fighters.

"I think we want the fights to look like the guys that get signed on the Contender Series," Dean added. "That's why they sign those guys because I think that's what they want our sport to look like.

Didn't want to leave any doubt this time around!

Kevin Vallejos gets the finish in round one 🤯 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/6duX29WBgO

— UFC (@ufc) September 25, 2024

"Guys who maybe get ahead and are going to manage position because that's one thing, we have position in this sport. A dominant position makes it so that you're able to attack your opponent, and it limits their ability to attack you and if you're not using that to progress towards a win of the fight, it can be looked at as a hiding place to ride out a win..."

"If that's what we want our sport to look like, somebody in charge let me know," Dean said of fighters stalling in bouts. "But, I think we want it to look like the fights on the Contender Series, and so that's why we tell guys to work."

UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

UFC 306: O'Malley vs. Dvalishvili wasn't Herb Dean's first rodeo, with the veteran referee officiating some of the biggest fights in UFC history - including Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.

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