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A veteran referee spoke up in support of Herb Dean after backlash over the viral UFC 300 moment. Elsewhere, Justin Gaethje's close friend and teammate believes eye pokes were responsible for his loss.
Here are today's top stories from the world of combat sports.
John McCarthy slams critics, defends Herb Dean for UFC 300 moment
Alex Pereira stopping Herb Dean from calling a time-out after Jamahal Hill landed an accidental low blow became a viral meme overnight. The iconic moment spread around social media like wildfire and even earned praise from Dana White. But it also caused the veteran referee to face some backlash.
Certain sections of the fanbase believe that the split-second exchange between Pereira and Dean caused Hill to lose his focus and 'Poatan' took advantage of that to land his signature left hook on the former champion.
Former UFC referee 'Big' John McCarthy took to X to defend Dean against criticism. He pointed out that Dean did nothing wrong in the sequence and Pereira had every right to dismiss a time-out as per rules.
He said:
"Herb was perfect in the actions he took in allowing @AlexPereiraUFC to call off the timeout for the kick to the groin he took and then keep the action of the fight in motion."
He continued:
"The fighter who is fouled by a strike to the groin is in control of how much time they need to take to sufficiently recover from the foul. They have up to 5 minutes of time if they need it... Everything Herb Dean did was exactly what we would train any official to do under the same circumstances."
Maycee Barber shares interaction with "Karen"
Maycee Barber shared a video on her Instagram story where a seemingly intoxicated woman was seen leaning against the UFC star's vehicle. When asked to move away, the woman argued back, refused to budge, and even threatened to "bust" her face up.
When she issued further warnings of violence, Barber hilariously asked her to try with a big smile on her face.
Watch the video below shared by Full Send MMA's Instagram account:
Barber, who has never been finished in her career, has six knockouts to her name across UFC and other promotions. In the video, we do not get to see whether the woman tries to hit Barber and her companion, but we know that it would certainly not have been wise.
Ryan Garcia compares his mental state to Mike Tyson
Ryan Garcia claims that the recent media scrutiny over his social media persona is unfair and unjust. Dotted with controversial posts and cryptic claims, his online activities have drawn allegations of substance abuse as well as concerns about his mental health.
In a media scrum ahead of his fight with Devin Haney on April 20, Garcia told the reporters:
"Yeah, I'm a little f**king mental, but I'm ready to destroy a motherf**ker. Y'all weren't talking sh*t about Mike Tyson when he was like this; y'all respect him now, right? Okay, then, so you're going to respect me. I have seen some sh*t I should have never seen, but I'm a killer now."
Over the years, Tyson has been open and honest about his struggles with anger management, suicidal thoughts, depression, and other mental health issues.
