Referee, Judges Assigned To UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor

UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor has its official referee and judging assignments.

Longtime referee Herb Dean will officiate the massively anticipated main event on October 6, 2018, from Las Vegas. The Nevada State Athletic Commission also assigned judges Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo at a meeting today.

The choice of Dean may be a source of pause for some MMA fans. Dean let CB Dollaway absorb a gross beating at September 15’s UFC Moscow. He therefore absorbed a heavy amount of criticism around the sport. Merab Dvalishvili unloaded a torrent of ground and pound on Dollaway, who failed to move as a result. Dean did not stop the fight for a few brutal moments, which felt like a lifetime due to the severity.

But Dean is a longtime veteran of refereeing the biggest fights MMA has to offer. Other officials considered for the pivotal lightweight title fight were Jason Herzog, Dan Miragliotta, and Chris Tognoni. Dean will receive $1900 to ref the fight.

All three judges were unanimously agreed upon by the NSAC. They will receive $1600 for their efforts.

UFC 229 takes place on Sat., October 6, 2018, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The pay-per-view event is being called the biggest UFC event of all-time. UFC President Dana White declared the bout was trending to smash all previous UFC pay-per-view records because of McGregor’s return.

The officiating of the fight now officially rests in Dean’s hands.