UFC referee Herb Dean stands by his no contest decision over Leon Edwards eye poke

UFC referee Herb Dean has repoasserted that he stands by his No Contest (NC) decision over the Leon Edwards eye poke at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad event (March 13th, 2021).

Edwards landed multiple eye pokes in his fight against Belal Muhammad. It was a particularly vicious one in round two that abruptly ended the fight, as Muhammad’s eye was injured and he was unable to continue fighting.

As reported by MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Herb Dean is of the opinion that Leon Edwards’ actions in the fight against Belal Muhammad didn’t warrant a disqualification (DQ). Bohn’s statement, regarding his encounter with Herb Dean after the fight, read as follows –

“Ran into Herb Dean at the airport leaving Las Vegas. He said he stands by his main event decision. Doesn’t believe Leon Edwards’ eye poke was intentional or had malice –despite the first-round warning– and thus the NC. Not a DQ situation in his mind. I tend to agree.”

Ran into Herb Dean at the airport leaving Las Vegas. He said he stands by his main event decision. Doesn’t believe Leon Edwards’ eye poke was intentional or had malice –despite the first-round warning– and thus the NC. Not a DQ situation in his mind. I tend to agree.

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) March 14, 2021

As noted in the tweet by Bohn, Herb Dean believes he made the right decision by declaring the Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad matchup as a No Contest.

Dean purportedly feels that, despite the first-round warning he had given to Rocky, the fight-ending eye poke in round two wasn’t landed intentionally or with malice.

Hence, the official chose to declare the fight a no contest rather than a DQ win for Muhammad.

Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad: A matchup that was expected to provide clarity in the UFC welterweight title picture

Leon Edwards (left); Belal Muhammad (right)

The No. 3-ranked UFC Welterweight Leon Edwards clashed with his No. 13-ranked divisional counterpart Belal Muhammad in the headlining bout of UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad on March 13th, 2021.

Heading into the matchup, UFC President Dana White noted that should Leon Edwards win the fight, he’d be next in line to fight for the UFC Welterweight title. Currently, the belief is that current champion Kamaru Usman could defend his title against arch-rival Jorge Masvidal next.

However, as of this time, neither Edwards nor Masvidal has been booked to fight Usman next. In other words, the UFC Welterweight title picture continues to be enshrouded in mystery.

On that note, the Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad matchup was aimed at bringing clarity to the title picture, provided that one of the two fighters would have won decisively. The consensus was that even if Muhammad won, he would likely have to get past one more top-five opponent to earn his title shot.

Presently, Leon Edwards has said he would like to fight for the title next rather than have a rematch with Muhammad. Remember The Name, on the other hand, wants to run it back again with Rocky.

Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad is declared a No Contest.#UFCVegas21 pic.twitter.com/YkKdaidixP

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) March 14, 2021