Overview
- The middleweight co‑main event at UFC Baku in June featured repeated hair pulls by Sharabutdin Magomedov and an accidental eye poke against Michel Pereira while referee Herb Dean issued warnings but took no points.
- Pereira lost a unanimous decision to Magomedov and was not offered a new UFC contract after the bout.
- Pereira told reporters he is working with a lawyer to appeal the result and has launched a public petition calling for action against Herb Dean, winning public support from fellow fighters.
- Experts and coverage note that athletic commissions oversee referees, that appeals overturning results for a referee’s failure to deduct points are rare, and no formal sanctions against Dean or the UFC have been reported.
- The dispute has focused renewed attention on referee accountability and the career risk fighters face when officiating decisions go unpenalized, with possible effects on future commission reviews and match‑day oversight.