'That's not necessarily the fighter's place': Alex Pereira defends Ciryl Gane while renewing criticism of Herb Dean

Alex Pereira’s dream of becoming the first and only three-division UFC champion was shattered when he got knocked out by Ciryl Gane in the second round at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14.  

Since then, he has been vocal in his criticism of referee Herb Dean. The former two-division champion has repeatedly demanded that Dean be removed from officiating UFC fights after the referee failed to intervene during the finishing sequence, in which Gane appeared to land multiple illegal strikes to the back of the former light heavyweight champion’s head.

While many fans blamed Gane for the illegal shots, Pereira has once again expressed his opponent should not be held accountable as much and insists the responsibility lies with Dean rather than the French heavyweight. 

Alex Pereira Explains Why he Blames Herb Dean, Not Ciryl Gane

During a recent interview with The Mac Life, Pereira explained that fighters often act on instinct during chaotic moments inside the cage, and that it's the referee's responsibility to recognize and address illegal strikes.

“Mistakes happen in fights,” Pereira said. “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.”

The Brazilian admitted that Gane's jab hurt him and acknowledged that he may have been able to recover. However, he believes the illegal strikes that followed should have prompted intervention from Dean.

“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,” he added.

Notably, Gane has a history of fouls. In his heavyweight title fight against Tom Aspinall at UFC 321, he came under scrutiny after accidentally eye-poking Aspinall late in the first round. The foul left the Brit unable to see, resulting in the fight being ruled a no-contest. Aspinall later underwent surgery on both eyes.

Pereira moved up to the heavyweight division but fell short in his bid to capture the interim heavyweight title. The defeat marked the third loss of his UFC career. However, the Brazilian has said he plans to continue competing at heavyweight and emphasized that one victory over a top contender would put him right back in title contention.

Meanwhile, Gane earned another opportunity to compete for the undisputed UFC heavyweight title and is expected to face Aspinall in a rematch later this year.