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Alex Pereira Says He Is Reluctant to Fight Again After Loss to Ciryl Gane
The former champion cited officiating concerns after absorbing back-of-the-head strikes in a June 14 bout. Andre Fili raised similar complaints about the same referee in a separate event.
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Alex Pereira posted on Instagram Stories that he is reluctant to compete again after absorbing back-of-the-head strikes during his interim heavyweight title loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250. The event was held at the White House on June 14, 2026, and refereed by Herb Dean. "Honestly, I'm afraid to go back to fighting with all this going on," Pereira wrote.
Pereira, a former UFC two-division champion, joined featherweight Andre Fili in criticizing Dean's officiating. Fili lost a technical knockout to Vinicius Oliveira at UFC Vegas 119 and stated that an illegal blow changed the outcome. "I'm very frustrated because it was an illegal shot that started the end of the fight for me," Fili wrote on Instagram.
"I'm not especially happy that Herb let those go. " Yardbarker.com reported that Dean responded to the criticism by suggesting fighters avoid positioning that puts them at risk for accidental fouls. Pereira has held titles at middleweight and light heavyweight and challenged for the interim heavyweight strap in his most recent outing.
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