NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 01: Offical Herb Dean looks on after the middleweight bout between Michal Oleksiejczuk of Poland and Kevin Holland UFC 302 at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Dana White offered a blunt assessment of Herb Dean’s recent run after the veteran referee came under scrutiny again at UFC 332.

Dean stopped Esteban Ribovics’ fight with King Green at 4:08 of the opening round Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Ribovics had dropped Green three times during the closing sequence, but Green was conscious, trying to recover and immediately objected when Dean waved off the contest.

Asked about the stoppage at the post-fight press conference, White acknowledged the broader criticism surrounding Dean while stopping short of calling the UFC 332 finish one of the referee’s worst decisions.

“Herb’s having a rough f—king year,” White said, according to MMA Mania. “But he got dropped like three times in a row. So, I’ve seen worse stoppages.”

Green wanted the opportunity to continue

Green disputed the call afterward, saying he had warned Dean before the fight that the exchanges could become dangerous and that he wanted the chance to go out on his shield. Although disappointed, the 40-year-old said he was healthy and expected to return.

The frustration was understandable. Green entered UFC 332 riding a four-fight winning streak and had revived his career with three finishes during that run. The defeat ended that momentum and moved his record to 36-18-1 with one no contest.

Still, the sequence left Dean with a difficult real-time decision. MMA Fighting’s live account recorded three knockdowns in quick succession. Green rose after the first two, but Ribovics connected again before Dean intervened. The UFC’s official results list the outcome as a Ribovics TKO by strikes at 4:08 of Round 1.

The latest call in a difficult stretch

The attention on Saturday’s stoppage was magnified by the criticism Dean has received over several recent assignments. Fighters and observers have questioned whether some interventions came too early, too late or after missed fouls. That history made another disputed finish involving one of the UFC’s most recognizable referees difficult to treat as an isolated moment.

White’s response reflected both sides of the debate. His “rough year” remark recognized that Dean’s recent work has become a recurring subject, but his reference to the three knockdowns also offered a defense of this specific call. A referee does not need to wait for a fighter to lose consciousness, particularly when the fighter has repeatedly been put down and is continuing to absorb clean shots.

That does not mean Green was wrong to feel he could continue. Fighters are conditioned to keep competing, and Green had recovered enough to protest immediately. The disagreement illustrates why stoppages remain among the hardest judgments in MMA: the official must protect a fighter without taking away a legitimate chance to recover.

Pressure remains on one of MMA’s most experienced referees

Dean has overseen championship fights and major events for more than two decades, and his experience is not in question. The concern is consistency. When a referee develops a run of disputed calls, every close decision receives more scrutiny than it otherwise might.

UFC 332 will not settle the argument. Ribovics earned an emphatic win after producing three knockdowns, Green believes he was denied the chance to survive, and White conceded that Dean’s year has been difficult while maintaining that worse stoppages have occurred.

For Dean, the next close call will arrive with the same challenge and even more attention.