Herb Dean defended his officiating during the UFC 306 main event between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, stating that urging fighters to stay active is standard practice and addressing excessive coaching or unsportsmanlike conduct falls within his responsibilities as a referee.
Herb Dean wasn’t doing anything different during Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili than any other fight he’s officiated in his career.
That’s the message the veteran referee passed along when asked about criticism he received for allegedly calling for action too quickly during the UFC 306 main event, especially when Dvalishvili would land a takedown on O’Malley. Dean explained that urging the fighters to stay busy is just part of his job and it’s actually something he details with athletes during backstage meetings before the event begins.
“I’ve seen on social media, people have spoken about me calling the fighters for more action,” Dean told Helen Yee Sports. “That’s what I’ve always done. I can tell you what I tell the fighters during the rules briefing. I tell them any time I’m going to interfere or any intervention, I’m going to talk to you first. Like if I’m going to [stand you up], what I’m going to say first, I’m going to say, ‘Let’s work,’ I usually clap and what I’m expecting from him is not busy work. I specify. I’m looking for effort to finish the fight.
“So you’re either to posture to where you can set up fight ending attacks or advance your position. Effort to advance. Because it’s not as easy as just passing the guard but effort to pass, effort to advance your position. Effort to bring the fight to a finish. That rule was put in [standing fighters up] to make our sport look the way we want it to look.”
In the end, Dvalishvili scored six takedowns on O’Malley across five rounds and he had over 10 minutes of total control time during the fight. When the action ended, Dvalishvili earned a unanimous decision victory to become UFC bantamweight champion.
Prior to his victory, Dvalishvili actually started the fight by engaging in an early shouting match with O’Malley’s head coach Tim Welch.
Dvalishvili had previously complained about Welch shouting instructions when his friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling lost to O’Malley back in August 2023. The Georgian fighter claimed the same thing was happening at the start of his fight with O’Malley, but Dean quickly intervened to control the situation.
“As a referee, it is our job to be in charge of excessive coaching if we think [it’s happening],” Dean said. “There is a rule. Of course I’m not here to be anyone’s parents or anything, and we want people’s personalities to be able to shine, that’s what makes our sport fun. We have some great personalities.
“But there is a rule that the seconds (cornermen) are not to interfere in the fight and that’s including trying to influence the referee for one thing, it even specifies that [in the rules]. You definitely can’t try to influence the other fighter or distract them. Your job is to coach your fighter. My job is to do something about it.”
While Welch came under fire for his tactics that night, Dean says it’s actually nothing new for coaches to try and influence the fight by shouting instructions from the corner. In fact, Dean revealed that many times it’s a coach attempting to sway the decisions he’s making in the cage as the referee.
“It happens and we do address it,” Dean said. “It’s been happening as long as the sport’s been here. Even coaching the referee through the fighter, ‘Well, Herb’s going to stand you up because all he wants to do is hold you and he’s a boring b*tch-ass wrestler.’ They’re going to coach me through coaching their fighter and what not and we know it.
“So if it gets to be too much, I’ll say that’s a little excessive. Coach your fighter. It’s in the rules. That’s what the rule is for.”
One other incident that Dean addressed from the fight was Dvalishvili taunting O’Malley after one of his takedowns by kissing him on the back. That move is frowned upon as well and goes against the rules.
“That does fall under unsportsmanlike conduct,” Dean said about Dvalishvili’s antics. “Abusive language, things like that. You’re not supposed to do.”