UFC referee firestorm grows as Charles Oliveira targets Herb Dean

Charles Oliveira has joined a growing chorus of UFC fighters and personalities criticizing referee Herb Dean following the controversial UFC Freedom 250 co-main event between Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira. The former lightweight champion and current BMF titleholder pointed to multiple illegal strikes—particularly shots to the back of the head—that Dean failed to address during the bout, which Gane won.

Oliveira told MMA Fighting that Pereira "reacted the right way" after being knocked down by attempting to defend with leg kicks, but that illegal strikes landed in the chaos that should have drawn Dean's intervention. The Brazilian drew a direct parallel to his own UFC 262 title fight against Michael Chandler, alleging similar infractions—eye pokes and shots to the back of the head—went unaddressed.

Henry Cejudo, Jorge Masvidal, Dominick Cruz, and Pereira himself have all publicly criticized Dean's performance. Oliveira emphasized the referee's responsibility to distinguish right from wrong and to stop action when necessary. He suggested that had an early stoppage occurred in his Chandler bout, his subsequent winning streak and momentum would never have materialized, underscoring how refereeing decisions can reshape careers. "I think he should have stopped the fight and said, 'Man, you're doing something wrong,'" Oliveira stated, placing full accountability on Dean to maintain fight integrity.