FACT Check: Is veteran UFC referee Herb Dean one of the 11 'herbs n spices' followed by KFC on Twitter?
Herb Dean is an iconic figure in MMA's landscape, having refereed some of the biggest fights in the sport's history. The 52-year-old has also built up a wealth of experience by officiating in promotions such as the UFC and ONE Championship.
Dana White, Joe Rogan and media publications such as ESPN and Fox Sports have all recognized Dean as one of the best in his field, often referring to him as the 'gold standard' of officiating in MMA.
Alongside the veteran's successful career, he also holds a unique place in pop culture. As of today, Herb Dean is one of only 11 accounts that the official KFC Twitter follows on the platform.
KFC, revered for their allusive and secret 11 herbs and spices recipe, opted to poke fun at the mystery surrounding their flavor by following all members of the band Spice Girls as well as a mix of other famous Herbs, including Herb Dean, on Twitter.
As shown in the image below, Dean is joined by accounts such as Herb Sendek and Herb J. Wesson Jr., alongside all the iconic British pop girl band members, making up 11 accounts in total.
When Herb Dean revealed what he loves most about refereeing in ONE Championship
Despite not having officiated in the promotion long, Herb Dean has nothing but positives to say about his experience in ONE Championship so far.
Last year, Dean was interviewed by The MMA Superfan Youtube page, where he was asked his thoughts on working in the Singapore-based promotion. According to the referee, who made his name officiating MMA rules fights, he loves the diverse combat disciplines ONE Championship offers.
He explained:
“What I really like a lot is the fact that it’s the home for martial arts in general. So I get to see top-level Muay Thai, top-level kickboxing, and it’s high-level guys, the best of the best, which is not something I’m always going to get to see at a show. So I really like that format.”
Herb Dean also gave some insight into watching from a fan's perspective. Referring to his experience watching Xiong Jing Nan versus Angela Lee, he said:
“The Xiong versus Lee fight was great. It went all five rounds, the ability to stay focused and keep a game plan after weathering the storm was great. But nothing surprised me. I came here expecting to see high-level top-notch talent, that’s what I’ve seen from ONE so far.”
Catch the interview here: