UFC referee slammed after risking fighter's life with brutal non-call

Experienced UFC referee Herb Dean has been slammed on Twitter following his failure to call a fight off during UFC Moscow, leaving a fighter to be mercilessly beaten.

Dean was officiating the bout between American fighter CB Dollaway and Russian Khalid Murtazaliev when the hometown hero began to pummel Dollaway into submission.

However, instead of calling off the fight with Dollaway clearly unable to defend himself, Dean watched on as the American was brutally bashed, allowing the fight to last until the end of the round.

Dean's actions were slammed by the commentators who exclaimed multiple times that "surely this fight needs stopping".

"Dollaway’s had enough. Dollaway’s curled up in a ball. He’s had enough," one commentator said.

"He’s trying to fight back, but there’s just no energy left in his body… Surely this fight needs stopping. Surely this fight needs stopping."

"He's made it out the round but I fear the fight is still going on. Herb Dean waved off the round, but not the fight."

Despite clearly watching Dollaway getting destroyed, Dean incredibly waited until he got confirmation from Dollaway, rather than taking matters into his own hands.

Following the controversial bout, Dean was slammed by UFC fans for not ensuring the safety of Dollaway, suggesting that Dean's no-call could have ended in tragic circumstances.