{"id":641820,"date":"2025-11-12T07:36:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T06:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=641820"},"modified":"2025-11-12T07:36:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T06:36:52","slug":"eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/","title":{"rendered":"Eye Poke Penalty Rule &#8211; Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>UFC referees have one of the toughest jobs in sports. They stand feet away from elite fighters throwing devastating strikes. Split-second decisions can change careers and legacies forever. Point deductions feel like nuclear options in a sport where rounds matter immensely. So refs tend to give warnings instead of actually penalizing fighters.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Anyone suggesting that Tom Aspinall took the &lsquo;easy way out&rsquo; should be ashamed of themselves and probably shouldn&rsquo;t watch MMA again.<br><br>A double eye poke in a UFC title fight&hellip; absolutely brutal &#128556;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC321?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#UFC321<\/a> <br><br> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cqeiI0juDo\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/cqeiI0juDo<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ben Thomas (@Benfthomas_10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Benfthomas_10\/status\/1982191450520482081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>October 25, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>This approach has created a major problem with eye pokes though. Fighters extend their fingers during exchanges without real consequences. The current glove design doesn&rsquo;t help matters much either. Fans have watched countless fights get ruined by accidental eye pokes. Tom Aspinall&rsquo;s title defense against Ciryl Gane at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ufc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>UFC<\/a> 321 became the latest casualty. The bout ended in a no contest after Gane poked both of Aspinall&rsquo;s eyes in the opening round. The British champion couldn&rsquo;t see properly and officials had no choice but to stop everything. Now referee Herb Dean has given the latest info on eye poke penalty rule changes coming soon.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Herb Dean Reveals Zero Tolerance Policy Coming<\/h2><p>Dean appeared on the<strong> Believe You Me podcast<\/strong> recently and dropped some news. The <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/mma\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>UFC<\/a> is finally cracking down on extended fingers near opponents&rsquo; faces. The first change isn&rsquo;t technically new at all. A rule already exists making it a foul to extend fingers toward the eyes. Problem is, nobody has been enforcing it properly.<\/p><p>Dean explained that refs usually react to damage already done by fouls. They take points after someone gets hurt badly by an illegal move. But this reactive approach hasn&rsquo;t worked for eye pokes at all. The new enforcement will be proactive instead of reactive. Fighters who extend their fingers toward opponents&rsquo; faces will lose points immediately. They won&rsquo;t get warnings or second chances anymore.<\/p><p><strong><em>&ldquo;I think people would not have been used to seeing someone get a point taken, because most of the time when we take a point, it&rsquo;s more of a reactive to the damaging and the unbalancing of the fight that&rsquo;s been done by a foul. But this right here is a dangerous foul and somebody&rsquo;s going to keep doing a dangerous action. We should start taking points by them doing that action before it actually happens to hurt somebody.&rdquo;<\/em><\/strong><\/p><blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DQ689m3jb4t\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DQ689m3jb4t\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewbox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DQ689m3jb4t\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>A post shared by MMA Fighting (@mmafighting)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><p>The veteran referee acknowledged why point deductions happen so rarely. MMA uses a ten point must system where rounds matter tremendously. Taking one point can turn a majority decision win into a draw. That&rsquo;s huge stakes for what might seem like a minor infraction. But Dean believes the danger of eye pokes outweighs those concerns now.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What These Changes Mean For Fighters<\/h2><p>If these rules had been enforced during Aspinall vs Gane, things would have gone differently. Gane extended his fingers near Aspinall&rsquo;s face before the actual poke happened. Under the new enforcement, the referee would have deducted a point right then. And when Aspinall couldn&rsquo;t continue because of the double eye poke? That probably would have resulted in a disqualification instead of a no contest.<\/p><p>Dean&rsquo;s comments suggest refs are done being lenient about reckless behavior. Fighters need to adapt their techniques or face serious consequences. Some guys rely on that extended lead hand for range finding. Those tactics are about to become very expensive!<\/p><p><strong>(Image Credit: Peter van den Berg &ndash; Imagn Images)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UFC referees have one of the toughest jobs in sports. They stand feet away from elite fighters throwing devastating strikes. Split-second decisions can change careers and legacies forever. Point deductions feel like nuclear options in a sport where rounds matter immensely. So refs tend to give warnings instead of actually penalizing fighters. This approach has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":641823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1783],"tags":[6107,10445,1860],"class_list":["post-641820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma","tag-ciryl-gane","tag-herb-dean","tag-tom-aspinall"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Eye Poke Penalty Rule - Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321 - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Herb Dean outlines possible rule adjustments and stresses fighter safety after the Tom Aspinall-Ciryl Gane bout ended in frustration.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eye Poke Penalty Rule - Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321 - The Playoffs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Herb Dean outlines possible rule adjustments and stresses fighter safety after the Tom Aspinall-Ciryl Gane bout ended in frustration.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Playoffs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-12T07:36:52+01:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1311\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"874\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zaid Quraishi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ThePlayoffsEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ThePlayoffsEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zaid Quraishi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zaid Quraishi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29\"},\"headline\":\"Eye Poke Penalty Rule &#8211; Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-12T06:36:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-12T06:36:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/\"},\"wordCount\":588,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Ciryl Gane\",\"Herb Dean\",\"Tom Aspinall\"],\"articleSection\":[\"MMA\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/\",\"name\":\"Eye Poke Penalty Rule - Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321 - The Playoffs\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-12T06:36:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-12T06:36:52+00:00\",\"description\":\"Herb Dean outlines possible rule adjustments and stresses fighter safety after the Tom Aspinall-Ciryl Gane bout ended in frustration.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg\",\"width\":1311,\"height\":874,\"caption\":\"Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Eye Poke Penalty Rule &#8211; Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/\",\"name\":\"The Playoffs\",\"description\":\"Share passion for sports &amp; betting\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Playoffs\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/selo-tp-2020-415x280-1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/selo-tp-2020-415x280-1.webp\",\"width\":415,\"height\":280,\"caption\":\"The Playoffs\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/ThePlayoffsEN\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theplayoffs_en\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29\",\"name\":\"Zaid Quraishi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a2e87a611774e8e06036f2a9c83e2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a2e87a611774e8e06036f2a9c83e2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zaid Quraishi\"},\"description\":\"I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/zaid-quraishi-884927240?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/author\/zaid\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Eye Poke Penalty Rule - Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321 - The Playoffs","description":"Herb Dean outlines possible rule adjustments and stresses fighter safety after the Tom Aspinall-Ciryl Gane bout ended in frustration.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Eye Poke Penalty Rule - Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321 - The Playoffs","og_description":"Herb Dean outlines possible rule adjustments and stresses fighter safety after the Tom Aspinall-Ciryl Gane bout ended in frustration.","og_url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/","og_site_name":"The Playoffs","article_modified_time":"2025-11-12T06:36:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1311,"height":874,"url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Zaid Quraishi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ThePlayoffsEN","twitter_site":"@ThePlayoffsEN","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zaid Quraishi","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/"},"author":{"name":"Zaid Quraishi","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29"},"headline":"Eye Poke Penalty Rule &#8211; Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321","datePublished":"2025-11-12T06:36:45+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-12T06:36:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/"},"wordCount":588,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg","keywords":["Ciryl Gane","Herb Dean","Tom Aspinall"],"articleSection":["MMA"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/","url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/","name":"Eye Poke Penalty Rule - Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321 - The Playoffs","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-12T06:36:45+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-12T06:36:52+00:00","description":"Herb Dean outlines possible rule adjustments and stresses fighter safety after the Tom Aspinall-Ciryl Gane bout ended in frustration.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Eye-Poke-Penalty-Rule-Referee-Herb-Dean-Gives-Info-On-New-Changes-After-Tom-Aspinall-vs-Ciryl-Gane-Controversy-At-UFC-3210A.jpg","width":1311,"height":874,"caption":"Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eye-poke-penalty-rule-referee-herb-dean-gives-info-on-new-changes-after-tom-aspinall-vs-ciryl-gane-controversy-at-ufc-321\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Eye Poke Penalty Rule &#8211; Referee Herb Dean Gives Info On New Changes After Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane Controversy At UFC 321"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/","name":"The Playoffs","description":"Share passion for sports &amp; betting","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization","name":"The Playoffs","url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/selo-tp-2020-415x280-1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/selo-tp-2020-415x280-1.webp","width":415,"height":280,"caption":"The Playoffs"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/ThePlayoffsEN","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theplayoffs_en\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29","name":"Zaid Quraishi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a2e87a611774e8e06036f2a9c83e2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a2e87a611774e8e06036f2a9c83e2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zaid Quraishi"},"description":"I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/zaid-quraishi-884927240?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app"],"url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/author\/zaid\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641820"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=641820"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":641825,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641820\/revisions\/641825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/641823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=641820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=641820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=641820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}