Dan Hardy reflects upon the the episode that took place at Fight Island in July, which involved him and referee Herb Dean.
Dan Hardy, who was involved in an intense verbal back-and-forth at UFC Fight Island 3 with UFC referee Herb Dean, over a presumed late stoppage, has now opened up about the heated episode. Hardy was at the commentary table that night, and at a preliminary contest between the Featherweights Francisco Trinaldo and Jai Herbert, the commentator from his spot intervened and screamed at Herb Dean to stop the fight, when it became apparent to him that the referee is delaying the stoppage, and in process risking the fighter’s well being, which in this case was Herbert’s.
Dan Hardy’s intervention saw a polarising reaction, while some came in his support, others believed he was wrong, since Herb Dean is one of the most experienced referees of all time. Hardy’s act received flak from president Dana White as well.
For a Closer Outlook, Read: Dana White Sends an Intense Warning To Dan Hardy
Dan Hardy Opens Up About Confrontation With Referee Herb Dean
After a span of two months, Dan Hardy has revealed what actually took place at the Flash Forum that night, and what propelled him to step up.
“If I go back to that same day without having prior knowledge of that circumstance and that experience of the last Fight Island, I probably wouldn’t have done anything different.” Dan at a Fight Island press address said, “The reality is, I have nothing against Herb, he’s refereed me a bunch of times, and I know he’s a good referee, he’s a reliable referee, but he’s human. I’ve made mistakes, I say left when it is supposed to be right, I say stupid things in commentary. We are human we make mistakes.
“The problem is when you are a referee and you are looking after the well being of a fighter, you have got to be on point, and at the end of these fights, I just think sometimes we need to review some of these circumstances to make sure if someone needs to be held accountable for a mistake, then they are.”
Hardy disclosed he had a conversation with Herb Dean after the event, and he accepted his mistake for yelling at him live.
“The truth is, I spoke to Herb after the event. We exchanged respect. I told him that I don’t want to fall out with him, I don’t want to yell at him on the broadcast, certainly not. It was my mistake. I shouldn’t have yelled at him on broadcast, because I am there to objectively give my opinion on what’s going on, and I was giving my opinion to Herb during the fight, which obviously wasn’t welcomed.”
Dan Hardy Criticised Herb Dean For Justifying Himself
The former fighter though was off the opinion that the altercation could have been avoided, but he also reiterated his earlier stance and criticised Herb Dean for releasing a video afterwards.
“When you released the video afterwards, which was very kind a nonchalant and like I am the gold standard referee, and so if you gonna put your seat on my T-shirt etc etc. That concerned me, because that means he is not learning from his mistake, and he is continue making that mistake.”
Source- MMA Fighting
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