Pereira blasts referee Herb Dean after illegal strikes go unchecked in Gane KO loss

Alex Pereira has publicly condemned referee Herb Dean for allowing what he describes as illegal strikes to go unpunished during his second-round knockout loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC White House on Sunday, ending his bid to become the promotion’s first three-division champion.

Gane claimed the interim heavyweight title with a finish that drew immediate scrutiny from fans, who noted that several punches in the closing flurry appeared to connect with the back of Pereira’s head — a blow classified as illegal under unified MMA rules. Pereira, a former light heavyweight and middleweight champion, says Dean was in position to see the infraction and had no justification for letting the fight continue.

“The ref is watching that they are illegal shots, but he thinks like this, ‘How am I going to stop this fight?’” Pereira said. “It’s illegal, it’s in the rules. You’re not going to be wrong if you stop it. If people say, ‘Why did you stop it?’ Look at the video; nobody was going to say anything about the ref. In that scenario, people give him credit as a man. But now he is not a man. He shouldn’t have been refereeing that fight. To be honest, a guy like that should be punished. It’s a very serious job. It’s a very serious event. What happened, the ref should’ve faced legal consequences for that.”

Pereira revealed he had spoken with Dean before the bout specifically to flag concerns about Gane committing fouls — a pointed reference to the Frenchman’s recent disciplinary history. At UFC 321, Gane poked undisputed heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in the eyes, causing the fight to be ruled a no-contest. Former UFC champion Junior dos Santos also accused Gane of illegal elbows to the back of the head in their December 2020 bout.

While Pereira acknowledges that a legitimate jab from Gane sent him to the canvas, he insists what followed crossed the line. “After the jab I dropped, I grabbed his legs,” he said. “It was there, throwing elbows, punches, he’s desperate. He threw a shot he didn’t even believe in, and he wanted to finish the fight in whatever way. He always does that, multiple fights, if you look at his highlights, that’s what you’ll see all the time.”

The Brazilian stopped short of accusing Gane of deliberate intent on every foul, conceding that some contact sports incidents are accidental, but drew a firm distinction when it came to the back-of-the-head strikes. “It’s a contact sport, but on the back of the head? You’re right there, man, you have to be seeing it.”

The loss halts what had been a remarkable run for Pereira, who captured the middleweight title in 2022 before moving up to claim the light heavyweight belt and then pursuing an unprecedented third title in a third weight class. Whether he pursues a rematch with Gane or drops back to light heavyweight remains to be seen.