“I Was Still Standing”: Alex Pereira Says Ciryl Gane Fight Could Have Ended Differently Without Herb Dean

The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion suffered a second-round KO/TKO defeat to the Frenchman at UFC Freedom 250.

However, Alex Pereira believes referee Herb Dean made several misjudgments during the fight, including stopping it too early. Since then, the Brazilian has repeatedly criticised the veteran referee in public.

Alex Pereira Says Ciryl Gane Fight Could Have Ended Differently Without Herb Dean

Speaking to Connect Cast, Pereira claimed that Ciryl Gane had exhausted himself and was no longer capable of knocking him out when Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.

“ wore himself out badly there and couldn't knock me out. They stopped the fight, and I was still standing. I wasn't on the ground. He was like, 'I can't believe it. Thank God it's over.' You could see how heavily he was breathing,” Pereira said.

Following the loss, Pereira also accused Dean of missing several illegal strikes from Gane. In response, Dean posted a video explaining the rules surrounding illegal strikes. However, Pereira remained dissatisfied and called for the veteran referee to be removed from his fights.

After receiving mixed reactions from the MMA community over his criticism, Pereira appears to have toned down his public comments. However, he still does not want Dean to referee his fights.

Pereira Isn’t Planning on Staying at Heavyweight

Pereira moved up to heavyweight in pursuit of becoming a three-division UFC champion. However, he currently holds a 0-1 record in the division. He is scheduled to face Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 in December.

If he suffers a second defeat at heavyweight, Pereira has indicated that he could return to light heavyweight and pursue the title.

"Everyone knows I'm not as heavy as those heavyweights. I'm not going to stay there taking a beating with that disadvantage. I'd go back to my division, where I was already well adapted. It would be for the belt," Pereira said.

Carlos Ulberg currently holds the 205-pound title, with contenders such as Jiří Procházka and Magomed Ankalaev also in the mix.

However, given Pereira’s star power and his success in previous title runs, he could likely work out a deal with the UFC if his heavyweight run doesn’t go as planned. For now, everything depends on what happens at UFC 335.