John McCarthy weighs in on referee Herb Dean’s controversial stoppage at UFC Fight Island 3

John McCarthy has shared his thoughts on referee Herb Dean’s controversial stoppage in Saturday’s Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jai Herbert fight.

The lightweight contest, which served as the featured prelim of UFC Fight Island 3, was called off shortly after Trinaldo landed a hard punch that sent Herbert crashing to the canvas.

Although Jai appeared to be in dream land, veteran referee Herb Dean did not step in to stop the fight. Instead, a confused Francisco was forced to throw some ground and pound shots to promote Dean to finally call a stop to the contest.

Dean’s decision to not stop the fight after the initial punch floored Herbert did not sit well with UFC commentator Dan Hardy. ‘The Outlaw’ proceeded to blast the longtime referee in an on-air outburst which caused a heated exchange to ensue.

Former referee John McCarthy addressed Saturday’s controversial Trinaldo – Herbert stoppage during Sunday’s “Weighing In” podcast with Josh Thomson.

“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. 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.” John McCarthy said. “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?”

“No.” Josh Thomson replied.

“Doesn’t look like it,” McCarthy agreed. “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 habe 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.”

John McCarthy continued:

“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 ok. 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.”

What do you think of the comments from John McCarthy regarding referee Herb Dean’s stoppage in the Trinaldo vs. Herbert fight from UFC Fight Island 3 on Saturday night? Share your thoughts in the comments section PENN Nation!

on July 26, 2020