Dana White backs Pereira's illegal-strikes complaint but stops short of faulting Herb Dean

UFC president Dana White has validated Alex Pereira’s post-fight grievance over illegal strikes, saying it is “undeniable” that Gane landed blows to the back of his head during their UFC White House co-main event on June 14 in Washington, D.C. — though White stopped short of placing direct blame on veteran referee Herb Dean.

Pereira suffered a second-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane in what would have been a historic third divisional title for the Brazilian. After the event, “Poatan” publicly criticised Dean for failing to intervene when Gane landed strikes to the back of his head during the finishing sequence.

White addressed the controversy at the UFC Fight Night 279 post-fight press conference on Saturday, offering measured support for Pereira’s position.

“If you watch the fight it’s undeniable that he got hit with some strikes to the back of the head, but in the middle of the action, when it’s going on and guys are rolling around trying to get out of it,” White said. “Sometimes the fouls happen. Maybe Dean should’ve said, ‘Watch the back of the head’ or warned him or something like that. But I don’t know. I can tell you this: Alex Pereira is not a whiner. And Alex Pereira doesn’t complain about things or make excuses after fights. So I have to believe that he believed that. That he truly believed that was true.”

White’s defence of Pereira’s character was notable given the fighter’s reputation for accepting defeats without public complaint. The UFC CEO repeated the sentiment when asked about a potential appeal, making clear that any formal challenge to the result would be a matter for the relevant athletic commission rather than the promotion.

“That’s something they’ll have to work out with the commission. Not my area,” White said. “Like I said: Alex Pereira is not a whiner. The guy doesn’t ever complain about anything. So you have to believe if he’s that serious about it, that he’s upset about it and believes it to be true.”

It remains unclear whether Pereira and his team will formally pursue an appeal. The former light heavyweight and middleweight champion has indicated he intends to remain in the heavyweight division following the defeat.