Overview
- The controversy has focused on three recent fights refereed by Herb Dean — the Ciryl Gane–Alex Pereira interim title bout, Andre Fili’s loss to Vinicius Oliveira, and the Shara Magomedov–Michel Pereira fight — where fouls were seen but not penalized.
- Observers and fighters say the missed calls included repeated strikes to the back of the head, hair pulls, an apparent eye poke and a groin strike, with referees issuing warnings instead of point deductions that could have changed outcomes.
- Former UFC fighter and podcaster Brendan Schaub publicly accused Dean of being unwilling to take points and urged immediate, stricter enforcement during fights to deter repeat fouls.
- The UFC has said referee discipline falls to state athletic commissions, and no commissions have announced penalties or overturned any results in these cases.
- The cluster of incidents has prompted petitions, social media outcry and calls for clearer referee oversight or training changes because critics say the pattern risks fighter safety and the fairness of results.