Alex Pereira 'afraid to go back to fighting' amid Herb Dean controversy: 'I think I've already done my part'
Has Alex Pereira already fought his last UFC fight?
The former two-division UFC champion issued an ominous message Monday as the fallout continues to unfold from his controversial UFC Freedom 250 loss to Ciryl Gane.
In an Instagram story relating to Pereira’s loss and further officiating controversies this past Saturday at UFC Vegas 119, Pereira wrote:
“Honestly, I’m afraid to go back to fighting with all of this going on. I think I’ve already done my part.”
Pereira, 38, suffered a brutal second-round knockout loss to Gane earlier this month at the UFC’s White House event in Washington, D.C. The win gave Gane the UFC interim heavyweight title and halted Pereira’s attempt at history — no UFC fighter has ever become a three-division champion within the promotion.
But the finishing sequence has also became a lightning rod for controversy, as Pereira and his coach, Plinio Cruz, have repeatedly accused referee Herb Dean of allowing Gane to use illegal strikes to the back of the head in order to secure the title.
Dean has since doubled down on his decision-making and posted a response video outlining why he believes Pereira’s claims are incorrect, however Pereira continues to dispute Dean’s case and has even called for the veteran official’s retirement.
“Something has to be done. I think his time is up,” Pereira told Uncrowned last week. “I think he already did enough. It’s just like a regular 9-to-5 [job], a regular business — he’s been there for too long and now is starting to mess up. Maybe he shouldn’t be there anymore. Something has to be done so people don’t end up getting hurt because of him.”
“[Dean will] never be around me or ref my fight anymore, that is for sure,” Pereira added. “We’re talking about life, right? Until somebody gets permanently hurt or something really bad goes all over the media, he’s going to take all the blame.”
Pereira’s latest comments come Monday following Andre Fili’s second-round knockout loss to Vinicius Oliveira, which was also officiating by Dean. Fili complained of his own frustration with Dean on Instagram Stories in the aftermath of the result, claiming that the veteran referee allowed Oliveira to land “two or three” illegal strikes to the back of the head, including “an illegal shot that started the end of the fight for me.”
