Joaquin Buckley has found inspiration in Herb Dean’s often criticized officiating technique.
Dean is one of the most experienced referees in the UFC, having worked for the promotion for over two decades in addition to overseeing bouts for countless other promotions across the globe. However, his reputation has taken a major hit in recent years as multiple fighters have questioned his judgment, from former two-division champion Alex Pereira slamming Dean for missing fouls at the conclusion of his UFC White House loss to Ciryl Gane, to The Ultimate Fighter 34 contestant Xavier Franklin calling Dean out for a refereeing debacle that might have cost him a spot in the tournament finals.
Those are just two examples of Dean’s competency being questioned, and media and fans have also criticized him for early stoppages, late stoppages, and regularly refusing to take points when fighters commit fouls. On Tuesday, Buckley released a video referencing Dean, as he challenges a training partner to forcefully restrain him as he goes bananas on a punching bag.
Watch the funny video below.
“Get up,” Buckley says in the video. “Don’t let me murder him. Don’t let me kill him.”
To Buckley’s credit, the challenge does seem to put his training partner’s grappling skills to the test. Afterwards, Buckley explicitly refers to the activity as “the Herb Dean” Drill.
Buckley actually doesn’t have much in-cage experience with Dean, with the veteran referee having only worked two of Buckley’s 17 UFC fights, both Buckley victories. The video appears to be made in jest, as he praised Dean in an accompanying caption:
I made a fun drill inspired by @herbdeanmma 💯 not many like him in the game wish more refs did it like him
Currently on a two-fight losing streak, Buckley is back in action this Saturday when he takes on Mike Malott in the welterweight main event of UFC Edmonton.