Overview
- Jorge Masvidal said on a Full Send interview published Aug. 6 that he disagrees with Joe Rogan’s label of Herb Dean as the “gold standard” and offered to debate Rogan directly.
- Masvidal cited specific moments he says show inconsistent officiating, including his 2017 fight with Donald Cerrone, the Dustin Poirier–Justin Gaethje collision, the Ciryl Gane–Alex Pereira sequence, and repeated hair-pulling warnings.
- He argued referees should warn or intervene before eye pokes and back-of-the-head strikes cause lasting harm and urged athletic commissions to investigate and penalize officials for bad calls.
- Other top fighters, notably Alex Pereira, have publicly criticized Dean and supported petitions for his removal, but the California State Athletic Commission has publicly backed Dean and kept him on main-event duty.
- Commissions are discussing rule-language changes to define categories such as incidental, reckless, and malicious fouls, and watchers should expect formal proposals or investigations that could change how fouls are enforced and how referees are held accountable.