Dana White has weighed in on Alex Pereira’s frustration following his second-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane in their interim championship bout at UFC Freedom 250.
Pereira has expressed outrage about the closing sequence of the fight, alleging illegal blows to the back of his head and even calling for referee Herb Dean’s retirement, while also showing interest in appealing the result.
"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," White said, adding, "Sometimes the fouls happen. Maybe Dean should've said, 'Watch the back of the head' or warned him or something like that. But I don't know. I can tell you this: Alex Pereira is not a whiner. And Alex Pereira doesn't complain about things or make excuses after fights. So I have to believe that he believed that. That he truly believed that was true."
On Pereira potentially appealing the outcome, White kept his distance: "I don't have any thoughts on (the appeal)," he said. "That's something they'll have to work out with the commission. Not my area. Like I said: Alex Pereira is not a whiner. The guy doesn't ever complain about anything. So you have to believe if the's that serious about it, that he's upset about and believes it to be true."
The loss came in Pereira’s bid to become the UFC’s first three-division titleholder, after previously holding two divisional belts since joining the promotion in November 2021.
