Renato Moicano wasted no time in making fun of the choice for best referee of the year at the 'MMA Oscars' , held this Wednesday (8). At the awards ceremony, Marc Goddard was chosen as the winner, but, in the Brazilian's view, Herb Dean would be the fairest name to receive the recognition, even in the face of recent controversies involving possible mistakes in his refereeing.
In a social media post, Moicano, in an ironic tone, expressed his opinion directly, calling it unpopular and arguing that Herb Dean should have been chosen for the award.
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"Unpopular opinion... it should have been Herb Dean," wrote Moicano.
Unpopular opinion… should have been Herb Dean https://t.co/68b68VzWfw
— Renato Moicano (@moicanoufc) July 9, 2026
Herb Dean lives terrible phase in the UFC
Herb Dean in action during a UFC fight. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Knocked out by Ciryl Gane in the co-main event of UFC Casa Branca on June 14th, Alex Poatan questioned the legality of the strikes landed by the Frenchman and attributed part of the responsibility for the result to referee Herb Dean. In a video published on YouTube, the Brazilian even stated that he does not intend to return to the octagon if the referee is again assigned to officiate one of his fights.
The criticism gained even more traction after Herb Dean became involved in further controversies at subsequent events. The referee was questioned for possible blows to the back of the head in Vinicius Lokdog 's victory at UFC Vegas 119 and also for an alleged hair pull in Michel Pereira 's defeat to Shara Magomedov at UFC Baku.
Main winners of the 17th MMA Oscars
Best fighter: Merab Dvalishvili
He competed against Ilia Topuria , Alexandre Pantoja , Magomed Ankalaev and Gadzhi Rabadanov.
Best international wrestler: Paddy Pimblett
He competed with Dricus Du Plessis , Jack Della Maddalena , Reinier de Ridder and Phil de Fries.
Best female fighter: Kayla Harrison
She competed against Valentina Shevchenko , Dakota Ditcheva, Natalia Silva , and Jasmine Jasudavicius.
Best newcomer: Joshua Van
He competed against Jean Silva , Sean Brady , Reinier de Ridder , and Dakota Ditcheva.
Best fight: Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval
He competed against Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes , Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber , Jack Della Maddalena vs. Belal Muhammad, and Nazim Sadykhov vs. Nikolas Motta.
Best knockout: Mauricio Ruffy against Bobby Green
He competed against Fares Ziam vs. Matt Frevola , Shara Magomedov vs. Arman Petrosyan, Gustavo Oliveira vs. Anas Azizoun, and Roberto Soldic vs. Saygid Arslanaliev.
Best finish: Jean Silva on Bryce Mitchell
He competed against Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker , Paddy Pimblett vs. Bobby Green , Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Lemos , and Steve Ray vs. Lewis Long.
Best gym: Syndicate MMA
He competed with American Top Team, Abdulmanap School, Fighting Nerds and Valle Flow Striking.
Best coach: John Wood, from Syndicate MMA
He competed against Khabib Nurmagomedov of the Abdulmanap School, Pablo Sucupira of Fighting Nerds, Mike Brown of American Top Team, and Mike Valle of Valle Flow Striking.
Best organization: UFC
Competed with PFL, LFA, Rizin and Cage Warriors.
Best leader: Dana White
He competed against Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Ed Soares, Peter Murray, and Graham Boylan.
Best narrator: Jon Anik
He competed against Brendan Fitzgerald, John Gooden, Michael Schiavello, and Sean O'Connell.
Best personality: Nina Drama
He competed against Joe Rogan, Bruce Buffer, Daniel Cormier , and Chael Sonnen.
Best MMA program: Contender Series
It competed with The Ariel Helwani Show, Jaxxon Podcast, The Anik & Florian Podcast and The Ultimate Fighter.
Best journalist: Ariel Helwani
He competed against Mike Bohn, Aaron Bronsteter, Ben Fowlkes, and Damon Martin.
Best specialized media: MMA Junkie
Competed with ESPN MMA, MMA Fighting, Uncrowned and Sherdog.
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