Dana White has addressed the Dan Hardy/Herb Dean situation.
Back at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till, the main talking point from that event was the confrontation between Dan Hardy and Herb Dean following the Francisco Trinaldo/Jai Herbert fight. The referee was highly criticized for not stopping the bout when it was clear that the overhand jab knocked out Herbert, and Hardy made sure to give Dean an earful over the mistake that he made.
Since then, Herb Dean released a statement defending his decision and the former UFC fighter responded by condeming Herb’s stance on the subject; however, the true question is, what does Dana White think about the situation?
Well, if the UFC President was there, it appears that he would’ve fired Dan Hardy on the spot. White finally touched on the issue that took place at the fight night show and made it clear that Hardy had no business pulling the stunt that he did (Transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting):
"Nobody has the right – listen, you want to criticize judges, you want to criticize referees, you didn’t agree with a decision or things like that...we love Dan,” White said. “Dan got emotional. And the problem is now, with this setup, it’s a lot easier to do. It’s a lot easier to interact with everybody, from the fighters to the refs to the media and everybody. If you work for me in any capacity and you approach a referee or judge or an official, I will fire you that night on the spot. That can never happen here again.”
White was questioned on whether he’s talked to Hardy following the incident and the UFC President does state that he currently involved with the on-going investigation and once again emphasizes that he’ll fire anyone who pulls a stunt like Hardy did:
“I’m speaking to him right now. I’m speaking to everybody. Don’t ever do it, ever again. And if you’re a fighter, and you put your hands on or threaten any official, you will never, ever fight here again, period.”
“We complain about judges all the time,” he said. “Referees are more important, because they’re our first responders. They’re the ones that have got to jump in there, and if they’re not, then we’re the ones that have to make a say. It’s very pop culture right now, unfortunately, but it crosses into every aspect. People need to speak up if they see something that is not right. Herb needs to be able to interject and save these fighters.”