Feeling wronged by Herb Dean's refereeing, Alex Poatan put him on his 'blacklist'. At UFC Casa Branca , an event held in June in Washington (USA), the Brazilian was brutally knocked out by Ciryl Gane in the second round, thus wasting the chance to become champion in three different weight classes in the company. After falling in his heavyweight debut, the athlete began demanding that the professional be punished exemplarily. Due to the strong stance of the company star, SUPER LUTAS contacted the legendary referee Mário Yamasaki to comment on the controversy.
In the second round of the fight, valid for the interim belt, Poatan was staggered by a jab from the Frenchman, fell, and received a series of blows on the ground. From then on, the Brazilian claimed that many of Gane's attacks hit the back of his neck, which constitutes an illegality according to MMA rules. Even in terrible condition, the athlete got up, but was knocked out soon after.
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Poatan shaken after being knocked out by Gane at UFC. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC
From then on, Poatan stated that Herb's time had passed, warned that he would not accept him as a referee for his future fights, and asked the UFC to remove him and the Athletic Commission to fire him. But, to the misfortune of the former UFC champion, Mario Yamasaki, in an exclusive interview with SUPER LUTAS , stressed that it is practically impossible for a referee as experienced as Dean to be dismissed from his position.
It's worth noting that, despite some controversial moves, the professional is considered by many to be one of the best in the sport and has won numerous awards throughout his career. Furthermore, Herb doesn't work for the UFC, therefore Dana White's organization cannot cut him.
According to the Brazilian, his colleague's reputation is so high that he won't even be suspended by the Athletic Commission or undergo retraining. Therefore, despite the risk of dismissal or suspension being almost nil, Yamasaki believes Dean needs to be more careful from now on and avoid further controversies, as he is in the spotlight and has become a target.
“ I don’t think it’s right to fire him . Maybe not referee Poatan’s fights anymore, but he’s an excellent referee . I think the more pressure you have from that, the worse you get. Because all the other referees who looked to me, to Herb as a reference, think, ‘Damn, if they made mistakes, what am I going to do?’ When they enter the octagon, they’re going to start making a lot more mistakes because of nervousness,” said the veteran.
“I think that just by making a mistake, he will learn and completely change the way he evaluates from now on. But the fact that he made a mistake and explained himself is already a learning experience, because he is receiving so much criticism, and that will make him learn. I went through that, you know? What would be the hook for him? Because he is not a bad referee .”
"I think he should have meetings and follow-up conversations, like refereeing less controversial fights to end things, but it's pointless . It's about the moment. You never know what you're going to get in a fight. Let's suppose that in his next fight he has another elbow problem and repeats the mistake, then I think that would open doors for this kind of thing."
"Until then, what will he say? He's been there for 20 years. He needs to analyze himself now, because sometimes you get arrogant. I was a little arrogant back then, and you end up tripping over yourself. I think now he needs to reflect, lower his crest a bit, and move on, because there are a lot of battles coming," he concluded.
Watch Ciryl Gane's knockout of Alex Poatan at UFC White House.
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