Brendan Schaub blames Herb Dean for fighters fouling without consequence: ‘Herb ain’t going to do sh*t’

Referee Herb Dean has become the focal point of controversy following multiple recent UFC events where fighters committed fouls without penalty, prompting criticism from former fighter Brendan Schaub on his Big Brown Breakdown podcast.

The latest incident occurred at UFC Baku's co-main event, where Shara "Bullet" Magomedov defeated Michel Pereira by decision. Early in the fight, Pereira scored a knockdown and pressed forward to finish, but Magomedov pulled Pereira's hair while defending—a foul Dean observed but did not punish with a point deduction. This continues a troubling pattern: at UFC White House, Dean's handling of the interim heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira drew complaints from Pereira about repeated back-of-the-head strikes going unaddressed. Additionally, Andre Fili claimed Dean missed back-of-the-head strikes in his recent loss at UFC Vegas 119.

Schaub argued that Dean's reluctance to enforce penalties has emboldened fighters to exploit the rules. "If you're a fighter and Herb's your ref, it's like, go ahead and kick to the groin if you want, don't worry about it," Schaub said. "He's just so timid, so scared to take a point." Schaub advocated for Dean to reverse course entirely, taking a strict, no-warnings approach to fouls so fighters know consequences are certain.

Dean previously justified his reticence by citing concern that point deductions could unduly influence scorecards. However, Schaub countered that Dean was once considered MMA's gold-standard referee and his recent decision-making has deteriorated. With three controversial fights in a row, the perception that Dean allows excessive latitude has become a tangible problem affecting fight outcomes and fighter safety.