Legendary brawls in boxing from past instances elevated the sport to a whole new level. Similarly, for MMA, the bitter feud between arch-nemesis Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov took things to the mainstream. The Irish superstar once rounded up his men and flew all the way to New York in pursuit of the Dagestani. This gave birth to one of the fiercest rivalries.
The heated rivalry turned into a lopsided victory for Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. It was in the 4th round that the fight came to an end, and surely enough brawl ensued. Just beating his rival wasn’t enough, as Nurmagomedov leaped into the crowd to attack McGregor’s cornermen. Witnessing all this in the best seat possible, veteran referee Herb Dean opened up about that fateful night.
Once it started, then at the first minute, I think, I probably tried to trace him and try to keep him from going out or something. But then, once it got to that point, I am like….This is beyond my job. My job is done.
Herb Dean via Jaxxon podcast YouTube
The blood feud between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov is still unchanged to this day. The duo continues to take shots at one another, even though the latter has retired from the sport. The feud is so intense that once Nurmagomedov warned his best friend, Daniel Cormier if he spoke with McGregor. It doesn’t seem like the rivalry will ever end, as they just don’t see eye-to-eye.
Fast forward to the present day, the next generation of fighters has kept the feud alive. It seems like this feud has turned into a generational rivalry that will see no end. However, veteran referee Herb Dean could have been the only one to prevent the brawl had he been able to contain the duo. The ace referee shared his thoughts on the matter during the Jaxxon podcast.
Could Herb Dean be able to stop Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s brawl?
Khabib Nurmagomedov is known to be an unstoppable force that even heavyweights struggle against. Despite knowing this reality, Dean, for a moment, thought about intervening in the brawl. Fortunately, better sense prevailed, and he managed to walk out of there unscathed amidst all the chaos.
Things became so dire that Dana White refused to put the belt on Nurmagomedov, fearing a riot. Moreover. Dean soon realized how helpless the situation was for him, forcing him to stay put. Responding to Rampage Jackson praising his fighting skill, the ace referee cleared the air about his options.
Even though Khabib is that much smaller than me. I heard he gives even Daniel Cormier a hard time. I know Daniel Cormier can just sit on me, so I don’t know man….But I couldn’t be able to do anything. I heard his feet are like hands.
Herb Dean Jaxxon Podcast YouTube
It goes without saying that Herb Dean has seen the best and worst bits of the MMA world. Despite being a trained fighter himself, the world-class referee loves how much respect MMA fighters have for officials. This makes their lives easy and allows the fights to end peacefully.
