Dana White says it is “undeniable” that Alex Pereira was hit with illegal strikes to the back of the head during his UFC Freedom 250 loss to Ciryl Gane, while stopping short of criticizing referee Herb Dean directly.
White addressed the controversy at the UFC Fight Night 279 post-fight press conference on Saturday.
“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, sometimes some fouls happen. Maybe Dean should’ve said, ‘Ay, watch the back of the head,’ or warned him. I can tell you this: Alex Pereira is not a whiner. Alex Pereira does not complain about things or make excuses after fights. I have to believe that he believed that. That he truly believed that was true.”
Pereira has publicly demanded a rematch with Gane and told The Ariel Helwani Show that he plans to remain at heavyweight for the rest of his career.
“I want heavyweight. I believe so — I believe I am going to finish my career at heavyweight. Let’s see how things play out, but I believe so. We plan to stay at heavyweight.”
Gane is targeting a title unification bout with undisputed champion Tom Aspinall in Paris in September.