Long-time mixed martial arts official Herb Dean was praised by UFC welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley ahead of UFC Edmonton.
Buckley, who battles Canadian Mike Malott on enemy territory in the main event of this Saturday’s UFC Edmonton card, is one of the few MMA fighters who have said positive things about Dean, who has taken his lumps in 2026 over a series of poor decisions and bad calls while refereeing fights.
Joaquin Buckley Praises Herb Dean
Ahead of UFC Edmonton, Buckley spoke to MMAjunkie.com and had nothing but good things to say about Dean.
“I love Herb Dean. Herb Dean is one of my favorite refs, especially because of the style of fighter that I am. I need Herb Dean to be in the cage every single time. … I mean, like I said, if you’re a fighter, you’re a fighter. So, if you’re really trying to fight to get that win, Herb going to give you plenty of opportunities,” Buckley said.
Taking a look at Buckley’s UFC career, Dean has officiated two of Buckley’s bouts: his knockout win over Jordan Wright, and his split decision win over Abdul Razal Alhassan.
With a 2-0 record under Dean in the UFC, you can see why Buckley prefers that he calls his fights compared to other refs.
Joaquin Buckley Says Herb Dean More Consistent Than Other Referees
In Buckley’s mind, he prefers Dean to officiate his fights compared to other referees because he believes he is more consistent than the other officials in the sport, whom he thinks are too different from fight to fight in the way they make their calls.
“I feel like there’s too many refs with too many different ideas and perspectives on how they want to see the fight when it shouldn’t be built like that. I think whether it’s Mark Smith or Jason Herzog or Dan Miragliotta, or my man (Mike) Beltran or Herb Dean and stuff, they all do different jobs at reffing. And when I look at boxing, and I look at the refs that’s been in the game for a long time on their side, they all do the same job. When the fight gets up in the clinch, they break it up. It’s like they don’t look for anything different. They stick to whatever regulated rules is to the game,” Buckley said.
“But I feel like with certain guys, even if I’m dropping names like Jason Herzog, he’ll look at a fight and if it’s on the ground, he’ll keep it on the ground. He won’t stand it up whatsoever, and you might pick and choose who that might be, but then what made you make a decision to pick that one up and not the other one? And that’s one thing they should explain a little bit more, and they don’t. Even when we’re at the back, and we’re talking, we ask some questions. So, I think there’s a lot that can change about the reffing in general. But no, I love Herb Dean, end of story.”
Herb Dean Praised by UFC Edmonton Headliner Joaquin Buckley