Herb Dean: “Respecting the rules means protecting the integrity of the sport”

Michel Pereira left UFC Baku with another loss on his record, but it could have been a different story.

The Brazilian faced Shara Magomedov in the co-main event of the latest Baku card, and Herb Dean was in the midst of a major controversy.

Magomedov, twice, pulled Pereira’s hair when the Brazilian was on top. Dean warned Magomedov a couple of times, but failed to deduct a point for the repeated fouls.

Dean also warned the Russian in between rounds of his conduct. It went from bad to worse for Pereira when Magomedov blatantly eye-poked him, but the referee again let him off with a warning.

Ultimately, Pereira lost the fight via unanimous decision, but had Dean taken a point away from Magomedov, it could have been a different result.

‘Demolidor’ took to Instagram and posted a lengthy message questioning how the rules are applied in MMA:

“In MMA, there are rules. They must be applied with the same level of rigor to everyone. Respecting the rules means protecting the integrity of the sport and ensuring justice inside the Octagon.”

Pereira pointed out that Magomedov was warned several times but was not dealt with. He even questioned Dean in the post:

“My opponent was warned several times and was not punished. When a rule is ignored, the result is compromised. Where’s the criterion, @herbdeanmma?”

Check out Michel Pereira’s Instagram post below:

Dean has been in the wars lately. The biggest incident or no-call came during the UFC White House event, where Alex Pereira lost to Ciryl Gane.

‘Poatan’ was left seething after Dean refused to warn Gane about the back-to-the-head shots, which led to Pereira losing.

The Brazilian demanded action be taken on Dean, but the referee has since overseen two UFC events and has made a couple of major blunders on each card.