Veteran ref Herb Dean takes Usman as an example to explain the difficulties of MMA

Veteran referee Herb Dean and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Photo: Ed Mulholland – USA TODAY Sports and Instagram (@herbdeanmma)

Referee Herb Dean has seen his fair share of fights in the octagon during his years in the UFC. However, during Saturday’s title fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, even a seasoned veteran like Dean raised an eyebrow.

In an recent interview with Helen Yee, the referee took Usman’s performance at UFC 278 as an example to explain what makes the sport of MMA so hard.

“Kamaru Usman’s performance in that fight was, I felt it was on another level. You know, his smoothness was like I hadn’t seen him before. And then you think he’s gonna just grind that out and then that kick out of nowhere,” Dean told Yee. “That’s the way the sport is, you know? And that’s what makes it so hard. That you have to concentrate for so long. Five five-minute rounds and one, one miss, you know, turns off the lights.”

Read more: Khabib Nurmagomedov concerned about friend Kamaru Usman: “A lot of people don’t recover”

Herb Dean has a professional record of 2-3

The 51-year-old veteran Herb Dean is widely considered to be one of the best referees in the business. He has won Fighters Only Magazine’s World MMA Awards Referee of the Year multiple times and been involved in some of the biggest fights in the promotion.

He has also competed in professional MMA and retired with a record of 2–3. Both wins came via stoppage, one submission and one TKO.

Read more: Usman opens up on immediate rematch and tough KO-loss: “It was a great shot”

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