Dan Hardy (photo via UFC / YouTube)

By FCF Staff

After blasting referee Herb Dean, both on mic and off at UFC Fight Island 3 on Saturday, Dan Hardy has elaborated on his actions.

Dean oversaw the preliminary bout between Francisco Trinaldo and Jai Herbert. The latter was brutally dropped by a booming punch in round three, and Trinaldo paused to throw any more punches, due to Herbert’s prone position.

Dean, however, didn’t call the fight and Trinaldo was prompted to throw more shots. Finally, Dean stopped the bout as Hardy and fellow UFC commentator Paul Felder screamed at him to do so.

Several moments later, Hardy was overheard confronting the respected referee off mic. Following the event, the former welterweight contender posted this statement.

Dean was also the official for the Tanner Boser-Raphael Pessoa fight. The referee didn’t stop that fight until after Boser poured down numerous punches from above, as Pessoa covered up.

View this post on Instagram

I love Mixed Martial Arts. Sometimes it doesn’t love me back though, and that’s alright. Regardless, I’ll always do everything in my power to protect it, and those dedicating themselves to it. Sometimes you may disagree with me, and that’s alright as well. I’m always going to speak my mind, and it will always be backed by what I feel in my heart. If you understand what it takes to get in there, then you understand my passion and anger when I see a fighter left unprotected. It isn’t the first time it’s happened, and twice in a night is clear negligence, in my opinion. The referees job is more important than any other person in that building. It is on their shoulders to protect fighters from getting seriously hurt when they are unable to protect themselves. You may just see UFC fighters in there, but I see friends, teammates, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers, competing in the sport that they love. When I make a mistake, I look stupid on live TV. When a referee makes a mistake, people are left vulnerable and can be seriously damaged. That can be life-changing, and we all have someone to go home to, that loves us and wants us back in one piece. Thank you for all of the kind words and messages I’ve received. I am truly grateful. I’ll see you all around… ♥️ —————— 🏴‍☠️Outlaw🏴‍☠️ —————— 📸 – @jeffbottari 🙏🏼

A post shared by Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) on Jul 26, 2020 at 7:45am PDT

UFC Fight Island 3 took place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.