Alex Pereira criticizes referee Herb Dean after loss to Ciryl Gane

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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: (L-R) Alex Pereira of Brazil and Ciryl Gane of France touch gloves in the UFC interim heavyweight championship fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Alex Pereira’s issue is with Herb Dean, not Ciryl Gane. Earlier this summer, Pereira officially moved up to heavyweight, fighting Gane for an interim heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC White House. It was a chance for “Poatan” to make history and become the first three-division champion ever in the UFC, but he came up short, getting knocked out by Gane in the second round. But Pereira’s loss was marred by controversy as, after he was initially dropped by Gane, “Bon Gamin” landed several illegal blows to the back of the head while trying to finish the fight. After the loss, Pereira ripped referee Herb Dean, who officiated the bout, for allowing the illegal blows to take place without punishment, and the former middleweight and light heavyweight champion has continued to lambast Dean whenever he makes a mistake. Noticeably, though, most of Pereira’s animosity has been aimed at Dean instead of Gane, the man who actually committed the fouls. Speaking with The Mac Life at UFC Belgrade this past weekend, Poatan explained why. “Mistakes happen in fights,” Pereira said through a translator. “Fighters are obviously under a lot of adrenaline, and kind of taken by the moment, so things happen. But I don’t think the ref has the benefit of not being in there and being emotional or anything else. “I got jabbed, I felt it, and maybe I could have recovered better. I had a lot of legal blows, then some illegal blows, and I just think the ref needs to be the one to step in and really see what’s legal and what’s not legal. That’s not necessarily the fighter’s place.” The loss puts Poatan in an interesting position as he’s now outside of the immediate heavyweight title picture. Given that, some fans thought the former light heavyweight champion could simply return to his old weight class and attempt to reclaim his title. But Pereira says he’s sticking at heavyweight, with the intent of finishing what he tried to do at UFC White House, before the fouls. “The plan is to stay at heavyweight,” Pereira said. “That’s the mission I have in front of me. I want to get that belt, and I’m going to have that opportunity.”

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Alex Pereira says he blames Herb Dean, not Ciryl Gane for the illegal blows at UFC White House