“In my mind, I was hoping that he would tap. Like, ‘Please, please make this easy for me. That looks like it’s on.’ I definitely [had a] heightened awareness at that time. I was really focused on that arm. But that’s how Antonio became who he is — he didn’t get there by giving up. That guy’s done things that everyone thought was impossible time and time again because he never gives up. I stopped it because I saw the arm break. The tap came after. I don’t stop it when I believe it’s locked on or even if I believe the guy’s in jeopardy because I don’t know what that person can take. I don’t know what their limits are, but if I see an injury that is too dangerous for the fight to continue, that’s when I’m going to stop the fight. Or if I see the fighter tap. He was very calm. He’s an exceptional person. Even during that, with coordinating with the physicians and him getting out of there, at some point he started taking an active role. ‘OK, Herb, I want you to help me up.’ He was pretty calm through it.”

Widely considered one of, if not thee very best referee in Mixed Martial Arts, Herb Dean recounts what was going through his mind during what Dana White called the best submission victory in UFC history.

At UFC 140 just little more than a week ago, Frank Mir was able to submit longtime heavyweight great, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to earn his second victory over the Brazilian.

Having never been submitted in his professional Mixed Martial Arts career, Nogueira refused to tap when Mir locked on a Kimura and eventually broke his arm in the process.

For his part, the third man in the cage, Herb Dean, knew the break was possible, but explains his reasons for keeping the fight active until the very last minute.

He did everything right, don’t you think?

(quote via sherdog.com)
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