Four months after Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira in the second round to win the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250, the Brazilian is still analyzing the loss. The 39-year-old entered the co-main event at the White House looking to become the UFC’s first three-division champion but left disappointed.
Though he prepares to return at UFC 335 on Dec. 12, he continues to talk about the defeat. However, instead of blaming the current heavyweight champion this time, he is pointing the finger at the referee.
Alex Pereira Says Different Referee Would Have Changed Gane Fight
Speaking on the Connect Cast podcast, “Poatan” claimed the result would change under a different referee. He argued that Gane was exhausted and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight while Pereira was still on his feet.
According to the former two-division champion, Gane repeatedly struck him in the forbidden zone behind the head, which disoriented him and took away his ability to recover or defend himself.
“[Gane] 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,” Pereira said, according to Championship Rounds. “He was like, ‘I can’t believe it. Thank God it’s over.’ You could see how heavily he was breathing.”
Alex Pereira believes the result of his fight against Ciryl Gane would’ve been different if Herb Dean wasn’t the referee:
“[Gane] 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.”
(via @connect_cast)
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 26, 2026
The cardio and stoppage-timing argument is new. Pereira previously claimed the finishing blows were illegal. Two days after the fight, he released a video statement accusing Gane of landing illegal strikes to the back of the head, and ESPN reported he blamed Dean for letting it happen.
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Dean, however, responded with a video breaking down the rules. “The nape of the neck, or occipital junction, covers the spine and covers a line, right here, with one-inch variance to either side,” Dean explained while demonstrating the restricted zone.
He added, “So, this is what we go over in the rules meeting. I will let them know that this area is a foul. Off limits. This area [punches the side and back of the head] is a fair blow. Here [punches the other rear side of the head] is a fair blow.”
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Pereira has since said his team plans to pursue a legal appeal. But Athletic commissions choose referees, so Pereira cannot block Dean from officiating his bouts.
This rule matters for UFC 335 at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, where Pereira (13-4) faces second-ranked heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich (21-3) in a five-round co-main event. Pavlovich rides a three-fight winning streak with seven UFC knockouts, opening as a -135 favorite on DraftKings against Pereira at +114.
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A win would likely put Pereira in line for the winner of Gane vs. Josh Hokit at UFC 334. Pereira has also said a Gane rematch is “the fight that makes sense,” so the officiating dispute is not going away soon.
