UFC superstar Alex Pereira says that he is still upset with referee Herb Dean for his officiating in his fight against Ciryl Gane.
Back in June at UFC Freedom 250, Pereira made his heavyweight debut against Gane for the promotion’s interim belt.
During the fight, Pereira was dropped by a Gane jab and knocked to the ground, where Gane landed several strikes to the back of Pereira’s head.
However, Dean did not call a timeout to pause the action, warn Gane, or take a point, and the Frenchman soon after finished the Brazilian by TKO.
Months later, Pereira is still upset about it.
Alex Pereira Still Upset at Herb Dean
Speaking in a recent interview with Connect Cast, Pereira made it clear that he feels like the Gane fight would have gone differently had there been a different official overseeing the bout.
“(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,” Pereira said.
“[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
Alex Pereira Focused on Sergei Pavlovich
Also in the interview, Pereira made it clear that he’s focused on his upcoming fight against Sergei Pavlovich in the heavyweight division at UFC 335, a fight that he hopes will catapult him to another title shot.
But if he loses, Pereira said that he is going to move back down to light heavyweight, and in that case, he expects an immediate title shot in his old weight class.
“Everyone knows I’m not as heavy as those heavyweights. I’m not going to stay there taking a beating with that disadvantage. I’d go back to my division, where I was already well adapted. It would be (straight) for the (light heavyweight) belt,” Pereira said.
“Everyone knows I’m not as heavy as those heavyweights. I’m not going to stay there taking a beating with that disadvantage.
I’d go back to my division, where I was
The fight with Pavlovich, then, will be the ultimate decider as to where Pereira’s UFC career goes from here, as a win will keep his hopes alive to win a belt in a third UFC weight division, while a loss will send him back down.
Alex Pereira Still Upset With Herb Dean for Ciryl Gane UFC Fight