'I Have No Respect for Him' - Alex Pereira Rips Herb Dean Over Ciryl Gane’s Alleged 'Illegal Strikes'

Now, the Brazilian is pointing the finger at both Gane and referee Herb Dean, alleging that illegal strikes played a key role in the outcome.

Alex Pereira Goes Ballistic on Ciryl Gane and Herb Dean

While the Frenchman left the White House event with interim heavyweight gold around his waist, Pereira left with lingering frustration over how the fight was officiated.

After the aftermath, speaking on his YouTube channel after returning to Brazil, Alex Pereira, the former middleweight and light heavyweight champion accused Gane of having a history of targeting illegal areas during fights.

"He always does that, multiple fights," Alex Pereira lambasted. "If you look at his highlights, that's what you'll see all the time."

The 38-year-old revealed that concerns about Gane's conduct were serious enough that he raised the issue directly with Herb Dean during the pre-fight rules meeting.

Alex Pereira explained, "The day before the fight, we had a rules meeting. I told him this guy has a long history of dirty shots, throwing punches to the back of the head, elbows. I asked him to keep an eye on it."

The Brazilian believes several of the blows that landed during the finishing sequence struck the back of his head and prevented him from recovering after being hurt by Gane in the second round.

"I was getting up, it became difficult to recover," he added, reflecting on the round two sequence after a thudding jab brought him to the ground. "I believe, if it wasn't for those shots, I'd be in that situation and could've possibly recovered. Maybe not, but they were very hard shots and illegal."

Furthermore, Pereira reserved some of his strongest criticism for Dean, questioning the veteran referee's handling of the fight.

"I think it's hard to put myself in the referee's shoes. But now he is not a man. He shouldn't be refereeing that fight," Pereira rebuked rather unapologetically. "To be honest, a guy like that should be punished. I have no respect for him whatsoever."

Pereira also shared photos showing swelling on the back of his head and has reportedly requested an immediate rematch, believing the controversial ending warrants another meeting with Gane.

‘Lot of Illegal Elbows’ - Tom Aspinall Reacts to the Fight-Ending Sequence

The Brazilian's heavyweight debut reportedly earned him approximately $10 million, making him the highest-paid athlete on the UFC Freedom 250 card. But, as we know, the payday came at a steep cost, leaving Pereira frustrated with both the officiating and his opponent's conduct in the Octagon.

That said, Pereira is not the only heavyweight to question Gane's tactics. Former undisputed champion Tom Aspinall quickly weighed in after the fight, stating that several of the strikes that landed on Pereira looked "very illegal." 

In hindsight, his comments carried extra weight given his own history with the French contender.

In fact, when the two met last October, the title bout ended in controversy after repeated eye pokes from Gane, resulting in a no-contest. The incident left Aspinall requiring double eye surgery and sidelined him for months before he was finally able to resume training.

As footage of Sunday's stoppage circulated online, many fans pointed to similarities between Pereira's complaints and Aspinall's previous frustrations. Reflecting on the R2 sequence, Aspinall shared his reaction on his channel - "They look a bit illegal. They look very illegal. What is going on? I'll have to watch that again, it looked like there was a lot of illegal elbows and punches."  

The controversy has only added another layer to the heavyweight title picture. Gane is pushing for a unification bout against Aspinall at the UFC's planned Paris event later this year, while Pereira is lobbying for an immediate rematch.

Meanwhile, in response to the backlash, Dean released a video breaking down the UFC's rules regarding strikes to the back of the head, insisting there is a distinction between illegal blows to the nape of the neck and legal shots that land higher on the head.

The clarification, however, failed to end the controversy, though, with many fans and Pereira himself remaining unconvinced that the finishing sequence was officiated correctly.