Ariel Helwani condemning Herb Dean for "awful stoppage" in Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka sparks raging fan debate
Fans were divided over Ariel Helwani's opinion on referee Herb Dean's decision-making in Alex Pereira's KO win over Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 303 main event. Dean is one of the most respected referees in the sport but has been criticized for his officiating on a few occasions.
Pereira attempted the second defense of his light heavyweight title against Prochazka in the UFC 303 rematch. Pereira's trademark left hook knocked Prochazka down seconds before the end of Round 1. The former champion could not recover fully in between rounds and Pereira knocked him out with a left high kick at the start of the second.
Prochazka did not defend himself against the follow-up punches, which signaled that he was down and out. Pereira landed a few more shots as Prochazka turtled up to protect himself before Dean stopped the contest. While it appeared that the referee contemplated stepping in a couple of times, he seemed to restrain himself, presumably to allow Prochazka a chance to fight back in the high-stakes title fight.
Watch the finishing sequence below:
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani took to X and criticized Dean's decision to hold back:
"Also, awful stoppage. Herb went out of position when he should have stopped it right away. The fight was over after the kick connected."
The MMA community was split over Helwani's post and shared their thoughts in the comments section.
Prochazka vs. Pereira 1 at UFC 295 in November 2023 was a closely contested affair until Pereira knocked Prochazka out in the second round. Unlike the first fight, the rematch was heavily dictated by Pereira. The Brazilian fighter did not allow Prochazka to get any openings and effectively shut down his unpredictable style.
Herb Dean's struggles with questionable calls over the years
Herb Dean's struggles with questionable stoppages date as far back as 2014. The referee first came under scrutiny for the allegedly premature stoppage in the Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann fight at UFC 170. He has since been criticized for the stoppage in the Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler fight and for what most deemed to be late stoppages in the Khalid Murtazaliev vs. CB Dolloway as well as Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jai Herbert fights.
A large section of fans had also fired shots at Dean for ignoring several fouls from Conor McGregor in the Khabib Nurmagomedov fight at UFC 229. Most recently, fans were outraged by his refereeing in the Ryan Spann vs. Bogdan Guskov fight.