Henry Cejudo Says Herb Dean Needs to Step Aside After Mounting Criticism

Henry Cejudo has joined the growing chorus of voices calling for veteran referee Herb Dean to step away from the octagon, at least temporarily.

Speaking on the October 5 episode of Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru and Henry, Cejudo unloaded on Dean following the UFC 332 stoppage of King Green's fight against Esteban Ribovics. Green was dropped three times in the first round before Dean waved it off at the 4:08 mark, a call that split opinions given Green's reputation for fighting from unconventional positions.

"He needs to step aside. He needs to step aside tomorrow," Cejudo said. He questioned how Dean "still even has a job" and pointed to a separate incident on Dana White's Contender Series where he believed Dean missed an illegal knee to the head. "That should have been a no contest," Cejudo argued.

The former flyweight and bantamweight champion called for the Nevada State Athletic Commission to stop assigning Dean to fights, saying there is "no accountability now whatsoever." He also noted that crowds have taken to booing Dean when he is announced. "Nobody likes this dude no more," Cejudo added, before conceding, "Maybe I am just picking on Herb Dean."

Co-host Kamaru Usman pushed back on the take. Usman argued that refereeing requires split-second decisions in real time, not the luxury of replays. "This is not baseball," Usman said, adding that Dean's job is to protect fighters from brain damage and that Green had already been knocked down multiple times.

Dean has not publicly responded to the latest criticism. He has been one of the sport's most recognizable referees for over two decades, but 2026 has been a rough year for the veteran official, with multiple high-profile disputes and increasingly hostile receptions from fans.