Big John breaks down controversial UFC on ESPN 14 stoppage

UFC commentator Dan Hardy was furious when referee Herb Dean didn’t stop the Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jai Herbert fight sooner.

https://twitter.com/espnmma/status/1287174290442465280

Hardy first screamed “STOP THE FIGHT!!!” before it had been stopped.

After several empty arena events, it’s clear that fighters (and the ref) can hear the commentary, and all the more so when it’s shouted. Next, Hardy confronted Dean face to face.

https://twitter.com/DovySimuMMA/status/1287182002408620033

Hardy’s intrusion was apparently in violation of rules that only another official can discuss substantive matters with an active official. In the absence of such rules, it is not difficult to imagine, for example, an upset UFC president Dana White chewing out judges or refs, creating chaos, something our chaotic sport doesn’t need. Further, Dean could hear the call clearly, and could have assumed it came from individuals relevant to efficient officiating, like the doctor or Herbert’s corner.

Although now largely retired from refereeing, “Big” John McCarthy basically invented the discipline as we know it, and on his Weighing In podcast with Josh Thompson, BJM broke down the stoppage and its aftermath.

Jai’s really good. Really talented. Good movement, a nice smooth stand-up fighter and he did well in the clinches and stuff. He was fighting really well,” began McCarthy. “But, Jai gets hit and the shot that hits him goes off basically the top of his forehead. The top of his head and you see him go stumble back and fall the way he did. It’s like he got hit in the head with a hammer. And you know as the referee it’s one of those… It is an oddity knockdown. Not your norm. But when he falls how did he fall? He fell going backwards and was he still there?

Doesn’t look like it. But, when Herb Dean sees him he comes around and he sees him fall down like this [motioning straight back] and he sees him with his hands in a position to defend himself. So Herb is thinking [Herbert] can defend himself and Trinaldo just stopped. Now Trinaldo stopped because he is a competitor, a sportsman, and felt like he’s out. I shouldn’t have to hit him again. But, he has to continue on. So the fact that Trinaldo didn’t immediately go after him, makes it now where Herb really can’t stop it, in a way, because he is saying he’s in there defending himself. Could he have stopped it? He could have. But, there would have been people complaining about him stopping it. There would have been people saying ‘Oh you didn’t give him the opportunity’ to try and you know work his way out.

So you’re in that can’t win. You know the fact that Dan Hardy is friends with Jai, likes him, and watches him fight in England. Well he got all upset because his guy took extra shots and okay. But, if Dan Hardy was the guy who got hit and went down and someone stopped it, he would be standing up like Dominick Cruz. ‘You stopped it too soon!’. Can’t win.