Referee Herb Dean to Officiate Daniel Cormier-Jon Jones Rematch at UFC 197

Herb Dean will be the third man in the cage when Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones square off in the UFC 197 headliner on April 23.

The assignment was revealed during Wednesday’s Nevada Athletic Commission meeting. Meanwhile, Sal D’Amato, Junichiro Kamijo and Chris Lee will serve as cageside judges for the light heavyweight title rematch.

Dean was the referee when Cormier and Jones first fought at UFC 181 on Jan. 3, 2015 in Las Vegas. Jones won that fight via unanimous decision, receiving identical 49-46 scorecards from Marcos Rosales, Cardo Urso and Tony Weeks.

Cormier registered a minor complaint regarding Dean during the hearing, as he claimed that the veteran official allowed the contest to slow down in the later rounds instead of restarting the action when it stalled. The NAC made note of the complaint, but Dean will remain the referee for the UFC 197 headliner.

UFC 197 takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will see Demetrious Johnson defend the flyweight strap against Henry Cejudo in the co-main event. John McCarthy will officiate Johnson-Cejudo, while Derek Cleary, Jeff Mullen and Glenn Trowbridge will score the 125-pound bout.