The UFC Baku Refs Pulled Off a Double Whammy and It's Getting Worse

Alright, Emerald City, listen up! You know how we always talk about the refs blowing calls in our games, right? Well, buckle up, because what went down in the UFC this weekend, specifically at UFC Baku, was a whole new level of "what in the world just happened?" Seriously, it was a total meltdown, a double whammy of officiating nightmares that had everyone from fighters to the commentary team scratching their heads. They just might be getting worse, and it makes you question the integrity of the sport.

Jim Perdios's Absolute Clown Show in the Opener

Man, you want to talk about starting a card on the wrong foot? The prelim opener between Tahir Abdullayev and Jefferson Nascimento at UFC Baku was a snoozefest already. Both guys were making their UFC debuts, but then referee Jim Perdios made it memorable for all the WRONG reasons. Nascimento gets a warning for "lack of activity," fine. But get this: UFC Stats show Abdullayev was outworked in the first two rounds, and he gets ZERO warnings! What?! Then, Abdullayev clocks Nascimento AFTER the horn for the second round, no point deduction. Nothing! It was a flashback to that awful Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie fight. The real kicker? Perdios stops the fight when Abdullayev drops Nascimento. Nascimento is on the bottom, he grabs Abdullayev, he's defending himself! But Perdios steps in and calls it. Nascimento protests immediately, and even the UFC's commentary crew couldn't back up that stoppage. You just don't do that, man!

Herb Dean's 'Hard Warning' That Stole a Co-Main Event

And if that wasn't enough, the co-main event ro

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lls around, Shara "Bullet" Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira. The ref? None other than Herb Dean. This guy's a longtime vet, but his name pops up with controversial officiating constantly. Alex Pereira even called him out for terrible calls in his UFC Freedom 250 fight against Ciryl Gane. So, what happens? First round, Pereira drops Magomedov. Pereira's on top, trying to work, and Magomedov starts PULLING HIS HAIR, multiple times! What does Dean do? A "hard warning." No disqualification, TKO, or point deduction. NOTHING. Just a stern talking-to. Are you kidding me? A "hard warning" should lead to a point deduction, right? Nope. Third round, Magomedov lands an EYE POKE on Pereira. And Dean? He does absolutely nothing. NO point deduction. Guess what? Magomedov wins on the judges' scorecards. Andrew Richardson at MMA Mania nailed it: if Dean had done his job, Magomedov would've been lucky to get a draw, or Pereira would've won outright. This ain't right. So, here we are, fans. Two fights on one card, both completely marred by baffling, frustrating officiating. It feels like this happens every week, right? Everyone screams for more scrutiny, for someone to actually watch these officials, but Andrew Richardson points out, nothing ever changes. These refs and judges are under state athletic commissions, government oversight and all that. But how many more fights have to get messed up before someone steps in and says, "Enough is enough?" We need consequences, not just "hard warnings" or shrugged shoulders. I'm not holding my breath, but man, it's getting harder to watch when the action in the cage is great, but the guy in the black shirt just ruins it. C'mon, let's get it together!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.