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Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira Criticize Referee Herb Dean After UFC Baku Fight
Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and former champion Alex Pereira posted criticism of referee Herb Dean on Instagram after Shara Magomedov defeated Michel Pereira by unanimous decision at UFC Baku on June 28, 2026. Both fighters highlighted Dean's handling of hair-pulling incidents during the bout.
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Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira posted criticism of referee Herb Dean on their Instagram stories following the UFC Baku co-main event on June 28, 2026. Shara Magomedov defeated Michel Pereira by unanimous decision with three 29-28 scorecards. Michel Pereira knocked down Magomedov early in the fight.
Herb Dean repeatedly told Magomedov to stop pulling Pereira's hair and stopped the action once to issue a warning, but issued no further penalty. Aspinall wrote on his Instagram story: “MMA doesn’t have ‘rules’ anymore. ’” He included a video clip from the fight.
Pereira wrote “Herb Dean, coward” on his Instagram story with footage of the hair-pulling incidents. He also posted a petition calling for Dean’s removal from the UFC that read: “Public Petition: Remove Herb Dean. To ban him from officiating UFC fights.
Alex Pereira has criticized Dean since the Ciryl Gane fight at UFC Freedom 250 earlier in June 2026, yardbarker.com reported.
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