Longtime referee Herb Dean has been under fire since officiating Alex Pereira's loss at UFC Freedom 250, but he's got some support.

Dean was on officiating duties when Pereira faced Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship back in June. “Poatan†suffered a second-round TKO loss, but he has since complained about illegal strikes to the back of the head. Pereira has gone full tilt in his criticism of Dean, even calling for his job.

Amid the harsh critiques, CSAC executive director Andy Foster told MMAFighting.com that he doesn't think Dean made an egregious mistake during Pereira's defeat to “Bon Gamin.â€

“The thing with Gane and Pereira, I was there. I was watching that in real time,†Foster said. “That didn't look anything different … that looked like a normal fight to me. That looked like a normal fight. I think what started that series was the punch that put [Pereira] on the ground. I know that's what started that series. He's obviously trying to finish him. [Pereira] is trying to get back in the fight.

“There was no doubt a few of them got through and hit [the back of the head]. The question is what do you do in that situation? Do you stop the action? Because I don't think many referees would have, if any, certainly at the high level. What do you do with that situation? Tell me that's not something that you've seen before. I think what started that series was the knockdown. That was the case.â€

Dean has also faced criticism as of late for bouts outside of UFC Freedom 250. Fans took the veteran referee to task after he failed to deduct a point from Sharaputdin Magomedov in his foul-marred UFC Baku bout with Michel Pereira. “Shara Bullet†grabbed Pereira's hair and delivered a low blow, but he only received a warning.

While the likes of Pereira, Tom Aspinall, and Brendan Schaub have expressed issues with Dean, others such as “Big†John McCarthy have cut him some slack.

Do you agree with Andy Foster, or is Herb Dean being protected by CSAC and other athletic commissions? Drop your take in the comments below.

After starring in commercials and publicly representing the
company, the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship interim lightweight titleholder
revealed that Bud Light cut ties with him after his arrest at
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Poirier believes
it was for the better and that he didn't need the “poison†in his
life, having committed to sobriety long-term.

The former UFC interim lightweight champion details the
financial fallout from his arrest and commitment to quitting
alcohol

Poirier recently opened up about Bud Light, the alcoholic beverage
company he previously represented as a brand ambassador, cutting
ties with him following his arrest. The American got into an
altercation with a police officer, who he threatened to fight and
hurled a racial slur at, and was subsequently released on bail.

“They terminated my contract immediately,†Poirier told Ariel
Helwani. “It's all good. I don't need that f*cking poison in my
life. It sucks that my family loses out on the money I had left on
the deal with them, which is a few hundred thousand dollars. But
also, if I'm representing something, if I'm advertising something
that I'm not going to be taking part in, promoting stuff — it's
just, it is what it is.â€

Since the arrest, Poirier has looked to make amends, revealing his
desire to reach out to the police officer involved in his arrest.
Furthermore, he has given up drinking altogether.

“There are plenty of people out there who do drink responsibly. I'm
not one,†he added. “So, if you can drink responsibly, have fun,
drink a Bud Light, drink whatever the hell you want. Be
responsible, have a good time. I'm not that person.â€

Belal Muhammad was far from stunned when Dricus du Plessis defeated Kamaru Usman.

The UFC OKC main event featured a middleweight clash between “Stillknocks†and “The Nigerian Nightmare.†It was a dominant start for du Plessis, who had Usman staggering momentarily. The former UFC welterweight titleholder did have moments of success in the bout, but he never made enough of a dent to give du Plessis problems.

Ultimately, du Plessis scored a unanimous decision win in his first bout since losing the middleweight title. In an interview with MMAJunkie, Muhammad said he expected du Plessis to get the better of Usman.

“I wasn't really surprised,†Muhammad said. “I picked Du Plessis to win. I thought his awkward style was going to be a little too much, but I thought Usman would be able to get a couple of takedowns. I figured it would go back and forth a little bit with the wrestling and grappling. I wanted to see if Du Plessis got better with it, but also I think Usman taking all that time off, right? What has it been, like one fight in three years? Then you come out and fight an awkward guy like (Du Plessis). It's hard to get timing, hard to get yourself acclimated to it. I thought that was a little bit too much for him. You could just tell he wasn't comfortable and couldn't see a lot of the stuff that Du Plessis was throwing at him. …â€

When asked about possibly settling his grudge with Usman down the line, “Remember The Name†didn't commit to the bout. Muhammad's issue has to do with the time Usman spends away from the Octagon after each fight. Muhammad, who is trying to break out of a three-fight skid, said he needs to face opponents who are more active.

Muhammad also admitted he was puzzled by Usman's post-fight reaction when the score totals were announced at UFC OKC. Usman was upset with the 50-45 score, but Muhammad thought the result was quite clear.

Can Kamaru Usman bounce back from his defeat to DDP, and who should his next opponent be? Share your opinion in the comments below.