'We want perfection, but there will always be shortcomings'

'Best to talk more openly and keep looking for ways to improve'

Refereeing legend 'Big' John McCarthy [Getty Images]
Refereeing legend 'Big' John McCarthy [Getty Images]

Veteran UFC referee "Big" John McCarthy has come to the defense of fellow official Herb Dean, who has been under intense fire from fighters and fans over a string of controversies involving missed fouls.

Dean has become the most hotly debated figure in combat sports in recent weeks. It is highly unusual for a referee — typically a background presence in the sport — to remain at the center of controversy for nearly a month.

At the most recent event, UFC Baku, Dean drew criticism for failing to penalize middleweight contender Shara "Bullet" Magomedov after he poked Michel Pereira in the eye and grabbed his braided hair during their bout. The incident made Dean a target of ridicule among fighters who have experienced similar fouls and among fans.

That controversy followed an earlier one at UFC Freedom 250, where Dean repeatedly allowed Ciryl Gane to land illegal strikes to the back of Alex Pereira's head during their heavyweight interim title fight.

Alex Pereira, who was knocked out after absorbing repeated blows to the back of the head while rising from the canvas, publicly called for Dean's resignation after the fight. He went so far as to suggest he would consider retirement if Dean continued to referee. Dean posted a video arguing the strikes were not to the back of the head, but deleted it after facing a fierce public backlash.

McCarthy addressed the situation during an appearance on combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani's show, indirectly defending Dean by noting that referees are human and that the speed of the action makes it impossible to guarantee a mistake-free performance. He offered a candid explanation that even a controversial missed call on a foul can happen when events unfold too quickly to process.

"Fans today play a kind of media role through social media, and they have become very skilled at attacking referees over even minor things," McCarthy said. "When a call goes against them, they shake a referee like they're picking a fan-favorite ref of the month."

"Referees, like the fans, want perfection — but there will always be shortcomings," he said. "The best thing we can do is talk more openly among ourselves and keep looking for ways to improve."

A former law enforcement officer, McCarthy began refereeing at UFC 2 in 1993 and is considered a first-generation pioneer of MMA officiating. He retired from UFC refereeing in 2018, went on to work as a commentator for Bellator, and has more recently returned to active duty as a referee for PFL events.


yjc@heraldcorp.com