Dana White says it is “undeniable” that Alex Pereira was hit with strikes to the back of the head during his UFC Freedom 250 loss to Ciryl Gane, while defending the broader reality that refereeing can never be perfect.
White spoke to reporters at UFC Vegas 119, via MMA Fighting.
I think every time everybody fights, the referee should be watching everything that happens. I say it all the time and I’ll say it again, no refereeing anywhere is perfect. It could be an NBA game, an NFL game, definitely some fights, it’s never going to be perfect. I also think that if you watch the fights, it’s undeniable he got hit with some strikes to the back of the head but in the middle of the action when 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.
White also defended Pereira’s character in making the complaints, noting it is unusual behavior from the Brazilian.
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.
Pereira has since pursued a formal appeal and called for Herb Dean to stop refereeing his fights. Gane holds the interim heavyweight title and has pushed for a unification fight with Tom Aspinall in Paris in September.
