Masvidal (35-16) stated that he had an illegal eye poke during his battle with Colby Covington, which necessitated laser eye surgery.
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Following a weekend in which referee Herb Dean was chastised for what some saw to be an early stoppage in the Alexander Volkov-Jair Rozenstruik bout, refereeing is back in the limelight. And one of the UFC‘s biggest names does not want Dean to oversee his fights. Even though Dean is usually considered one of the most competent referees in mixed martial arts, UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal stated earlier this month that he would like Dean not to be around in the cage. “Gamebred” made the remarks to respected journalist Ariel Helwani before the recent debacle erupted.
Masvidal (35-16) stated that he had an illegal eye poke during his battle with Colby Covington, which necessitated laser eye surgery. But it’s not only the Covington fight that’s causing him problems with Dean. Masvidal told The MMA Hour last week, “I’m not a fan of Herb Dean, man, I can tell you that much, We’ve had a couple of problems. Donald Cerrone was one of them, and Jake Ellenberger, as well. I just, I don’t know, I don’t think I’m his cup of tea, and he kind of takes it out when refereeing.”
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Jorge Masvidal thinks in his fight Herb Dean has always been casual and didn’t take things seriously. As he felt like a low blow by the ref during his matches. Masvidal continues saying, “He’s done some things that I’m like, it’s kind of weird, and then I get clearly, clearly— [Covington] throws a low blow— that I’m not saying this changes the outcome, but [Covington] clearly he throws a low blow that’s intentional, and Herb doesn’t do anything about it, just gives him a little warning. I don’t know. I hope that as long as I compete, Herb Dean never referees a fight of mine or judges it.” Jorge Masvidal’s comeback to competition is yet to be determined. Meanwhile, he is facing several criminal charges after reportedly punching competitor Covington outside a Miami cafe only weeks after their UFC 272 fight.
