Veteran MMA referee Herb Dean has announced that UFC officials will take a stricter approach to eye pokes in upcoming fights, enforcing point deductions more regularly following recent controversies.

Controversy in Aspinall vs Gane Fight

The decision follows the premature end of Tom Aspinall’s UFC heavyweight title fight last month when Ciryl Gane accidentally poked the Briton in the eyes. Referee Jason Herzog ruled the bout a no-contest rather than disqualifying Gane, sparking debate across the MMA community.

Aspinall retained his title but faced boos from the crowd in Abu Dhabi despite replays clearly showing he had been poked in both eyes and was unable to see during the week following the fight. Fans and analysts questioned why the foul did not result in a disqualification and why point deductions were not applied at the time.

Dean Outlines the New Approach

Speaking on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Dean emphasized that the rules already exist to penalize fighters for eye pokes, but enforcement has been inconsistent.

“It’s a foul to extend the fingers towards the eyes. That rule has been there, but we haven’t been enforcing it. So we’re going to move forward on that,” Dean said.

Dean stressed that referees will now have a stronger mandate to deduct points for dangerous actions, regardless of whether the foul was intentional:

“This right here is a dangerous foul and somebody’s going to keep doing a dangerous action. We should start taking points by them doing that action before it actually happens to hurt somebody.”

He highlighted the impact of point deductions in MMA scoring, noting that a single point taken can turn a close fight into a draw, reflecting the high stakes of stricter enforcement:

“The majority of three-round fights, what’s the score? 29-28. So you take one point, you’ve taken a majority of wins and turned it into a draw. But we’re going to have to do something.”

Implications for Fighters and Officials

The move to enforce stricter penalties for eye pokes will affect both referees and fighters. In the UFC, referees currently exercise discretion in determining whether an eye poke was intentional, which influences the severity of the punishment. However, Dean’s announcement indicates that even accidental fouls may now result in immediate point deductions to protect fighters.

Regular meetings between UFC officials and athletic commissions in the United States ensure rules are reviewed and updated as needed, and Dean’s comments signal a commitment to reducing dangerous fouls in high-profile bouts.

For fighters like Tom Aspinall, this change offers additional protection in the cage and ensures that fouls like eye pokes carry tangible consequences, potentially influencing fight outcomes and overall safety in MMA.