1. Home
2. › UFC News
3. › Dana White says Herb Dean is having a “rough f-cking year” after Controversial stoppage

Dana White gave Herb Dean a mixed review after Dean’s disputed stoppage of King Green at UFC 332. White said the longtime referee is having “a rough f-cking year,” but stopped short of calling the decision an outright blunder after Green was knocked down three times by Esteban Ribovics in the opening round.

Dana White on UFC 332

Dana White did not fully defend Herb Dean after King Green’s loss to Esteban Ribovics, though he did not believe the call ranked among MMA’s worst premature stoppages. “Herb’s having a rough f-cking year,” White said after UFC 332.

“Listen, you know, Bobby was laying there going … but he got dropped like three times in a row. So, I’ve seen worse stoppages.” The comments came after a hectic lightweight bout at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on October 3. Ribovics repeatedly hurt Green in the first round, putting him down three times before Dean waved off the fight at 4:08. The official result was a first-round TKO win for Ribovics.

Green was unhappy as soon as Dean stepped in. The 40-year-old veteran rose and argued that he had not been finished, while Ribovics moved toward him during the aftermath. Dean stepped between the fighters and nearly sent Ribovics through the open Octagon door while attempting to separate them.

Green later said he had spoken to Dean before the contest and asked the referee to let him fight through a difficult spell if necessary. “I told Herb this is gonna get sticky. Let me go on my shield,” Green said.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – OCTOBER 03: (R-L) Esteban Ribovics of Argentina punches King Green in a lightweight fight during the UFC 332 event at Delta Center on October 03, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

“I was still fine. I still wanted to keep fighting and I felt like we were getting somewhere. It was a great fight.” That stance explains the frustration, even if the footage gave Dean a clear reason to intervene. Green was still conscious and protesting, but he had absorbed repeated clean knockdowns in a short stretch. White’s response landed in the middle: Dean may have acted early, yet the sequence gave him a defensible basis to protect the fighter.

Herb Dean’s 2026

The Green stoppage arrived after several refereeing controversies involving Dean this year. In September, he was involved in a Dana White’s Contender Series finish between Ian Escuza and Luca Borando, where Escuza landed an illegal knee on a grounded Borando before securing a 32-second TKO.

The criticism of Dean has also drawn former champions into the conversation following Alex Pereira’s disputed loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250. Henry Cejudo argued that officials should face real consequences when their decisions affect a fighter’s health and earnings, saying referees should be willing to deduct points rather than simply issue warnings.

Dominick Cruz echoed that frustration, questioning why public explanations centered on Dean’s interpretation of illegal back-of-the-head strikes instead of Pereira’s complaint, while noting that fighters can lose purses, rankings and title opportunities without referees facing comparable public accountability.

The debate has continued after Andre Fili also alleged illegal shots to the back of the head in a later Dean-officiated bout, while old complaints from Khabib Nurmagomedov about Dean’s handling of Conor McGregor’s fouls at UFC 229 have resurfaced.

Nevada officials reviewed the sequence and allowed the TKO result to stand, concluding the foul was not substantial enough to change the outcome. White disagreed and said the bout should have been ruled a no contest, adding, “He f-cked up.

Dean also faced scrutiny in June after Ciryl Gane’s win over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250. Pereira and critics argued that Gane landed illegal blows to the back of the head without a warning or intervention. Dean later said the illegal target is the nape of the neck rather than the entire rear portion of the head, while the official TKO result remained unchanged.

Green’s four-fight winning streak ended with the Ribovics loss, while the controversy added another chapter to Dean’s difficult run. White’s verdict was not a full condemnation: he acknowledged Dean’s recent problems, but felt three knockdowns in one round made the Green stoppage easier to justify than many fans initially suggested.