Veteran UFC ref Herb Dean is no stranger to criticism, whether it comes from the fighters he presides over or the zealous fans watching at home. His recent choice to allow a visibly confused Brian Ortega to continue fighting against Alexander Volkanovski came under fire, but Dean had his reasons.
Herb Dean told Helen Yee that Ortega was simply fatigued, rather than concussed, and was capable of intelligently defending himself in the Octagon. Some, including Volkanovski, claimed that Ortega’s cornermen had to help him to his stool in between rounds, which should have been an instant disqualification.
Herb Dean Defends Choice To Let Ortega Continue Against Volkanovski
“I don’t think his cornermen helped him [to sit up]. He was laying there, he wasn’t getting up. I think it was more of those ‘Hey, it’s time to get up. Let’s get moving.’
‘Cause once they grabbed him, it’s not, like, they had to lift him up. Once they put their hands on him, he was getting up to get on the stool. But I think he was really having that — I can’t speak for him, but I know how it feels like to struggle with yourself. And he definitely was spending some time talking to himself there, figuring out, digging deep.
Finding the strength to go on.” Herb Dean continued, emphasizing the sheer exhaustion that Ortega must have felt enduring round after round of Volkanovski’s relentless pressure fighting.
“What was interesting is he got that minute rest period. ‘Cause basically, at the end of the round, it was exhaustion, I think. He had given it his all.
Then the physician comes in, medically clears him, says he’s clear. Some of (Ortega’s) answers weren’t exactly clear, but then when he looked at me and gave clear answers, like, ‘Yes, I see, yes I wanna continue,’ and you could see that he was ready to compete again, we gave him another chance.
Of course, we’re gonna kinda watch closely, but he got out there and did what he was supposed to do.” Had he made the call to end it, however, there surely would have been uproar from Ortega’s camp about a premature stoppage.
“Definitely, it was close to being stopped. At the end of the round [Ortega] was exhausted. And he made it through the round and I think a fighter has the right to make that decision after the rest period.
He made it through the rest period. His problem was he was tired, so I think getting some rest, a minute of rest, would be the best thing for him. And he has the right to make that decision then.”
Do you agree with Herb Dean’s choice not to end the fight then and there? Let us know in the comments.
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