Herb Dean is one of the most famous referees in MMA history, but he also has quite the soft spot for Submission Grappling. Eagle-eyed viewers will likely have noticed that Dean has been working for ONE Championship lately, refereeing fights for the only major MMA promotion on the planet that regularly states Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Submission Grappling fights on the same events. Dean was recently asked about his work for the promotion and what he thought about their style of matchmaking that sees a wide variety of rulesets on the same event:
“I also really like the fact that they’re pushing submission grappling and giving these guys a home, because that’s something near and dear to me. I think that’s something that everyone can do as a sport. You know, your kids can do it, everyone can do it, so I’d like to see that sport being promoted and that’s a really cool thing.”
Of course, this makes perfect sense to any hardcore fans who already know about Dean’s background. He was an MMA fighter long before he ever became known as a referee, and he amassed a 2-3 professional record over the course of six years competing. He was active from 2001 to 2007 and even fought UFC veteran Joe Riggs at one point early in his career. Herb Dean has obviously had extensive training in both Submission Grappling and a variety of striking styles throughout his career, and he enjoys being able to watch all of them at the same event:
“What I really like a lot is the fact that it’s the home for martial arts in general. So I get to see top-level Muay Thai, top-level kickboxing, and it’s high-level guys, the best of the best. Which is not something I’m always going to get to see at a show. So, I really like that format.”
