‘Herb Dean has lost a step’: Pros react to Gregory Rodrigues’ nasty knockout, scary follow-up strike

Herb Dean had a front row seat to one of the scariest knockouts of the year.

The veteran referee was the third man in the cage for the UFC 317 featured preliminary bout between middleweight veterans Gregory Rodrigues and Jack Hermansson. Rodrigues scored a hellacious finish when he caught Hermansson with a hard punch that immediately left Hermansson flat on the canvas.

Making the knockout worse was the follow-up strike that Rodrigues landed on a defenseless Hermansson. It was an ugly scene, one that left pros marveling at Rodrigues’ power and at least one questioning whether Dean could have been in better position to step in sooner.

“Herb Dean has lost a step,” UFC middleweight Eryk Anders wrote on Twitter.

This isn’t the first controversy surrounding Dean, one of MMA’s most decorated officials that has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. UFC commentator Joe Rogan criticized Dean for calling for more action in the main event of UFC 306, and former UFC commentator Dan Hardy memorably yelled at Dean for what he perceived to be a late stoppage at a July 2020 UFC event.

Check out how pros reacted to Rodrigues and Dean’s work at UFC 317 below.

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