When Joe Rogan had to interrupt a live Shavkat Rakhmonov fight to help Herb Dean avoid potential mishap

Joe Rogan once intervened to point out an issue to referee Herb Dean during one of Shavkat Rakhmonov’s fights, preventing a critical error in the octagon. The veteran UFC commentator was alongside Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik in the broadcast booth for UFC 285, a card headlined by Jon Jones' heavyweight title clash against Ciryl Gane in March 2023.

On the main card, Rakhmonov faced the seasoned Geoff Neal in a welterweight showdown. The fight’s most memorable moment came in the first round when Neal's powerful strike sent Rakhmonov's mouthpiece flying, yet the referee failed to notice the incident.

Rogan and his broadcast team openly addressed the issue on the mic, repeatedly pointing out that the referee had overlooked Rakhmonov fighting without his gum guard. After witnessing Neal deliver a powerful punch, Rogan promptly removed his headset, pointed to the gumshield on the floor, and drew the referee's attention to the oversight.

Check out the video of the incident below:

Ultimately, Dean recognized the issue and intervened to briefly pause the action, allowing Rakhmonov to reinsert his mouthguard before both fighters resumed their clash.

'Nomad' maintained his perfect finish record, submitting Neal with a rear-naked choke in the third round, and improved to 5-0 in the UFC at that time.

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Shavkat Rakhmonov to square off against Ian Garry in UFC 310 co-main event

Shavkat Rakhmonov will put his undefeated record on the line against fellow unbeaten welterweight Ian Garry in a five-round showdown, set as the co-main event of UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

'Nomad' was originally slated to challenge reigning 170-pound champion Belal Muhammad in the headline fight of UFC’s final pay-per-view event of 2024. However, the highly anticipated bout was called off after Muhammad was forced to withdraw due to a toe infection.

As for 'The Future', he agreed to take the fight after giving up his original headlining spot against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa on Dec. 14.