Following his crushing loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250, Alex Pereira openly criticized the Frenchman for allegedly landing illegal shots to the back of his head during the finishing sequence in the second round of their heavyweight bout. However, most of Pereira’s anger was directed at referee Herb Dean over his failure to halt Ciryl Gane‘s illegal strikes. In the days following their fight, Pereira slammed Dean and suggested that, going forward, he would not allow Dean to officiate his fights. The Brazilian even declared that he intends to bring the matter before the athletic commission in the form of an appeal. While the veteran referee attempted to put forth his side through a video demonstration of what constitutes an illegal strike and what does not, it failed to put the controversy to bed.

Amid the kerfuffle, UFC CEO Dana White addressed the situation directly at the UFC Vegas 119 post-fight press conference tonight.

“Well, I also think that if you watch the fight, it’s undeniable that he got hit with some strikes to the back of the head,” White said. “But in the middle of the action, when it’s going on, and guys are rolling around trying to get out of it, sometimes some fouls happen. Maybe Dean should have said, ‘Hey, watch the back of the head,’ or warned him or something like that, but I don’t know.

“I can tell you this. Alex Pereira is not a whiner. Alex Pereira doesn’t complain about things or make excuses after fights. So I have to believe that he truly believed that was true. I don’t know. I really don’t have any thoughts on it. That’s something that he’ll have to work out with the commission. It’s not my area. Listen, like I said, Alex Pereira is not a whiner, man. That guy doesn’t ever complain about anything. So if he’s that serious about it, he’s upset about it, and he believes it to be true.”

As Dana White pointed out, the former two-division UFC champion believes he could have continued fighting. In his first statement after the loss, ‘Poatan’ admitted that the Frenchman caught him with a “lucky” jab. However, Pereira maintained that it was the illegal shots that actually compromised his recovery, while Herb Dean’s failure to intervene allowed the sequence to continue and ultimately contributed to the stoppage.

Following that, Pereira also shared close-up images of the bruises he suffered on the back of his head, presenting them as evidence to support his claims. Since punches to the back of the head are extremely damaging and strictly prohibited in combat sports, the consensus that the punches were to the back of the head raises serious concerns about the safety, or lack thereof, in their fight.

But while the UFC CEO insisted that Alex Pereira is not someone who usually complains or looks for excuses, the former champion has already called for an immediate rematch based on the controversial nature of the stoppage, though he’s currently suspended from active competition.

That said, when it comes to fouls, Dana White addressed the issue last year following Ciryl Gane’s eye poke against Tom Aspinall at UFC 321. Speaking on the Triggernometry podcast, White admitted that illegal strikes can be very difficult to eliminate completely in a contact sport like MMA. However, he also remained optimistic that the promotion could eventually find a solution and even floated the idea of implementing stricter punishments to discourage such fouls.

Now, whether Ciryl Gane will actually face any action because of the alleged strikes to the back of the head remains unclear. But Herb Dean has once again found himself at the center of controversy after a fight tonight. 

Herb Dean faces controversy yet again after UFC Vegas 119 fighter complains about illegal strikes

Amid the Alex Pereira situation, which continues to grow bigger, Herb Dean found himself at the center of another controversy. At UFC Vegas 119 in the Apex tonight, the veteran referee officiated the featherweight bout between Andre Fili and Vinicius Oliveira. During the final sequence of the bout, Oliveira landed several standing elbows on the back of Fili’s head, resulting in a second-round TKO loss for the veteran.

Following the fight, MMA reporter Alex Behunin reported that Fili complained to Dean about the strikes to the back of the head he endured against Oliveira. It was also revealed that Fili had taken the matter to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), prompting a review from their side.

That incident once again raised questions about Dean’s style of officiating. So, when Dana White was answering questions about Pereira’s controversy, a reporter also asked him about the situation from UFC Vegas 119. In response, the UFC CEO left the matter up to the commission.

“I don’t have any thoughts on it,” White said. “That’s something that they have to work out with the commission, and you know, not my area.”

For those who don’t know, it is the local athletic commission, not the UFC itself, that assigns referees to events. In this case, the Nevada Athletic Commission appointed Herb Dean to officiate the UFC Vegas 119 main card opener.

With two separate complaints about his officiating surfacing just a week apart, Herb Dean’s handling of strikes to the back of the head is likely to remain a talking point until the commission weighs in on Pereira’s formal complaint.