HERB DEAN RATES REFEREE JOSH ROSENTHAL'S UFC 116 LESNAR VS. CARWIN PERFORMANCE

Saturday, 10 July 2010 21:38

by Kalin Johnston

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Kalin Johnston caught up with veteran MMA ref Herb Dean to get his thoughts on the way Josh Rosenthal handled UFC 116's main event. Shane Carwin pounced on returning champion Brock Lesnar in the opening stanza, unloading a volley of solid punches while Lesnar covered against the fence. Some felt Carwin was doing enough damage to warrant a referee intervention, but of course Brock bounced back in the second to secure a submission from the top.

Herb lends his opinion on Rosenthal's decision to let the fight continue, how he qualifies whether a fighter in that position is "intelligently defending", and his thoughts on the fight as a fan.

KALIN: Since the Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin title fight a week ago there has been a lot of feedback about the first round of that fight and the reffing involved. A lot of people consider you to be the best ref in the game, so tell us: How was the reffing in that fight?

HERB: I think in the first round Shane definitely hit Brock with some good shots and was attacking him. For a second it seemed like Brock was in danger. The referee, Josh, did a really good job of keeping the fighter safe and not affecting the outcome of the fight.

KALIN: Do you feel the fight should have been stopped in the first round or do you agree with that decision?

HERB: I agree with what he did. I think he did a great job. I feel that it was the best decision to be made.

KALIN: I agree. It was almost as if Lesnar was doing the Rope-a-Dope on the ground.

HERB: That's what we tell the fighters in there, is that you can cover up, but you also need to do something to show that you are in the game still. I saw that Josh told him to defend himself and Brock Lesnar did do things. He moved around, he put his feet on the guys hips, and he did some things to work on the situation. Whatever it was he was doing, the ref saw that it was enough to let the fight continue which was obviously the right decision because Brock was not hurt. If the fight should have been stopped then Brock wouldn't of been able to weather the storm and actually come out and defeat Shane in the next round.

KALIN: How much of this backlash against Brock is because of him as a person and because of his pro wrestling background?

HERB: I don't know. That's not my type of style to worry about who's popular and who is not popular. For me, I respect anybody who gets in there and fights. Maybe they might have an attitude which is different than mine, but it takes all types. Fortunately for me I don't have to be that guy.

KALIN: Looking at that fight as a fan were you impressed by Brock's performance?

HERB: I definitely was. I think that he showed a lot of heart and showed a lot of fighting spirit to not only be able to weather that storm like that, but to also always still be thinking about how to win. I think it was very impressive. That's what you see in this sport. That's the type of athletes that we have here.

KALIN: When you're in the octagon as the ref and a fighter is on the ground taking shots, what specific things are you looking for?

HERB: The main thing I look for is basically intelligent defense which is basically them actively trying to solve the situation that they are in. If they're just laying there with their arms up taking shots and not doing any movement I can't allow that to continue. If they're just taking the shots and allowing it to happen I can't have that. All it takes is a little bit of movement so that they are not getting hit as much. They need to be moving and bucking their hips to throw the other guy off balance so that he can't hit him as hard. Really just anything to help the situation and help him weather the storm.

KALIN: How do you help the second generation of MMA refs coming up right now? Do you hold any seminars?

HERB: I do. I do some teaching. I think that in the future of the sport all of the referees will be attending seminars. We're going to focus on what is going on with officials. The athletic commissions now are making sure that officials go through certain certifications. I have a course that I'm running my curriculum through with the group of athletic commissions that meet and decide if it's one that they require the officials to go through. You can go to HerbDean.com and look at Herb Dean referee school and put your information up there and we will keep you updated on when we are going to be doing our next seminar.

KALIN: It has to feel great to be at a place in life where you can use your name and your skills to help other people.

HERB: Definitely. It is a blessing to be able to be a part of this great sport. I love it. I'm passionate about refereeing. I take it very seriously. It's a sacred trust because peoples careers and safety are in your hands. I'm happy that people trust me to do it.