But that's not saying anything really. Every single ref, even the very worst, makes the right call the vast majority of the time, because the vast majority of the finishes in MMA are clear and easy to call, even we could make them. It's Herb's reputation as "the best in the biz" that pisses people off, because they clearly see he isn't. And it's not because of what happened with Hardy, his reputation has declined among the fans for years already, in case you haven't noticed. He has become from one of the most loved refs to one of the most hated, that doesn't just happen easily without a legit reason.
I know refereeing is not an easy job, but to get called "the golden standard", "the best in the business", etc. imo you have to make the right call in stopping a fight AT LEAST 95% of the time. Herb doesn't.
Here is your golden standard destroying 25 year old fighters career by letting him taking unnecessary brain damage for over half a minute. Waldburger never fought again.