There was moments of high controversy recently at UFC On ESPN 14 when color commentator Dan Hardy yelled at referee Herb Dean to stop a fight after an opponent was floored by a punch and then was involved in a brief verbal confrontation with the official afterwards.
At the time the UFC indicated they would be investigating the matter and now Dana White has spoken out in the media to confirm that in future there will be a zero-tolerance policy implemented with regards to people confronting officials in the future.
“If you work for me and you approach a judge or a referee or any type of official, I will fire you,” White said yesterday. “You will lose your job. You will never work for me again if you do that.
“You want to criticize judges, you want to criticize referees, you didn’t agree with a decision or things like that…we love Dan. 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 also confirmed that he’s been discussing the matter with Hardy, but that the rule will apply to everyone.
“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.”
