Jorge Masvidal Calls Out ‘Worst Referee’ After UFC 306
Jorge Masvidal was not a fan of Herb Dean interjecting himself into Saturday’s main event clash between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
It was clear from the get-go that the longtime referee wasn’t going to tolerate any shenanigans in the UFC 306 — also known as Riyadh Season Noche UFC — headliner. Seconds after the bout began, Dean briefly paused the action to warn both Dvalishvili and O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, to stop engaging with one another. The moment was undoubtedly odd, but nothing that had any sort of impact on the fight itself.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only time Dean got involved in the five-round headliner. Throughout the contest, Dean continuously encouraged the fighters to work whether they were standing, on the mat, or clinched up against the fence.
The commentary trio of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier expressed their frustration with Dean’s never-ending commands which eventually trickled down to social media where fighters and fans alike slammed the Pasadena native.
That includes the UFC’s original BMF, Jorge Masvidal, who held nothing back in his review of Dean’s performance.
“Worst referee in the game Herb Dean,” Masvidal wrote on X.
Merab Dvalishvili dominates lackluster Noche UFC title fight
Dvalishvili’s fight with O’Malley had a little bit of everything; a stoppage for “excessive coaching,” an incident where Dean literally had to tell ‘The Machine’ not to “kiss” his opponent, and, of course, Dean’s constant demands to “keep working.”
But after all the antics and the drama were over, fans witnessed the crowning of a new UFC bantamweight champion. Dvalishvili ran away with the fight on the scorecards, securing a decisive unanimous decision to both extend his streak to 11 and claim his first piece of gold inside the Octagon.
What comes next for O’Malley is uncertain, but it appears to be much more clear on Dvalishvili’s side of things.
