The referee drama from the UFC’s White House event has taken an extremely dark turn, and it appears that the sport is on the verge of losing one of its biggest stars. Former two-division champion Alex Pereira just dropped a bombshell on his Instagram stories, publicly confessing that the ongoing controversy surrounding unpunished illegal strikes has made him reconsider his entire fighting career.

Sharing a video by health and fitness influencer Brendan Ruh, who sharply criticized referee Herb Dean for failing to follow safety standards during the bout, especially regarding the elbow to the back of Pereira’s head during the ending sequence of their fight, ‘Poatan’ wrote a chilling message in both English and Portuguese.

“Honestly, I’m afraid to fight again with all this going on,” he wrote. “I think I’ve already done my part.”

The Brazilian’s fears are understandable and valid. Head injuries are no joke in combat sports, and that’s exactly why shots to the back of the head are strictly prohibited. While nothing untoward has happened in MMA yet, shots to the back of the head terribly affecting a fighter’s life like that of boxing prospect Prichard Colón are all too common in other combat sports. Hence, the obvious threat of retirement from the 38-year-old.

Pereira has been on a warpath since his interim heavyweight title defeat to Ciryl Gane, threatening to sue Herb Dean and demanding that he never referee his fights again.

“I had a long conversation with my manager last night,” Alex Pereira said in a recent interview. “We are going to pursue this legally. We’re going to talk to our lawyers. The bill is going to come from some people.

“I think everybody already had enough of Herb Dean,” he said. “We don’t know if he should even continue on the job at this point. He got comfortable, and he just keeps getting; every so often, there’s more and more stuff happening the same way with him… 100 percent (he won’t referee my fights again).”

This isn’t your typical post-fight sour grapes either. As someone who has never raised issues with referees previously in his career, his concerns are legitimate. Even UFC CEO Dana White supported Alex Pereira’s outburst, stating that the stone-faced warrior is “not a whiner” and has no history of making excuses.

“If you watch the fight, it’s undeniable that he got hit with some strikes to the back of the head, but in the middle of the action, when it’s going on and guys are rolling around trying to get out of it,” the UFC head honcho said at the UFC Vegas 119 post-event presser. “Sometimes the fouls happen.

“Maybe Dean should’ve said, ‘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. And Alex Pereira doesn’t complain about things or make excuses after fights. So I have to believe that he believed that. That he truly believed that was true.”

And to add more fuel to the ongoing controversy, at UFC Vegas 119, featherweight Andre Fili was knocked out by Vinicius Oliveira after taking some clear elbows to the back of his skull. And now, this second incident has prompted the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to step in and review the footage, validating the safety concerns Alex Pereira has been raising.

Alex Pereira has a valid reason to walk away from the sport

To be fair, it wouldn’t be surprising if Alex Pereira decided to hang up his gloves. Head injuries are brutal even if a fighter isn’t knocked out immediately, as repeated or poorly placed shots can have long-term consequences.

So, when Pereira says he’s afraid to fight again because he believes the rules aren’t being enforced correctly, it’s easy to understand where he’s coming from. At this point, it appears that he is more concerned with whether the sport is doing enough to safeguard fighters than being upset about losing.

And there are already several real-world examples of skilled fighters leaving when they realize the risks outweigh the rewards. TJ Grant is arguably the ultimate cautionary tale. Back in 2013, Grant had just earned a lightweight title shot by knocking out Gray Maynard and seemed to be on his way to becoming one of the division’s biggest stars.

But things turned upside down when he sustained a concussion in training camp and had to withdraw from the fight. The symptoms persisted far longer than anyone expected. Years passed, Grant talked about the good and bad days, and he never fought again. He never officially retired right away, but the lingering damage basically ended his career.

Alex Pereira’s situation isn’t the same, but Grant’s story highlights why top-tier fighters take head injuries so seriously. Once you start wondering if the damage is worth it, especially when you’ve already conquered multiple divisions, it’s not always easy to shake that feeling. If the referees are unable to protect the athletes, no one can blame ‘Poatan’ for deciding his legendary run is officially complete.