Dana White has weighed in on Alex Pereira’s complaints about illegal blows and refereeing in his loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC White House.
Pereira claims he was repeatedly fouled with shots to the back of the head by Gane during the bout, and criticized referee Herb Dean for not calling or punishing the alleged fouls. Gane went on to win by second-round stoppage to claim a vacant interim heavyweight championship.
White acknowledged Pereira’s concerns while defending the realities of officiating. “I think every time everybody fights, the referee should be watching everything that happens,” White said. “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 [Pereira] 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 [Herb] Dean should have said ‘hey, watch the back of the head’ or warned him or something like that,” White added.
Pereira and his team have considered filing an appeal over the result, though he has said it is almost impossible to get it overturned. “That’s something that they’ll have to work out with the commission. Not my area,” White said, while stressing, “I can tell you this: Alex Pereira is not a whiner.”
