Michael Bisping has taken aim at Alex Pereira’s reaction to his recent defeat to Ciryl Gane, criticizing how the former champion handled the aftermath of their interim heavyweight title clash.
Pereira was finished by Gane in Round 2 of their interim heavyweight title fight at UFC Freedom 250, which took place this past Sunday at the White House in Washington. Afterward, Pereira accused Gane of cheating with illegal shots to the back of the head in the fight-ending sequence, said he plans to appeal the loss, and called out referee Herb Dean while requesting Dean no longer officiate his fights.
Bisping pushed back on Pereira’s approach. “He lost the fight. There's no shame in that whatsoever,” Bisping said, before taking issue with the post-fight complaints. “But sitting there, complaining and crying about it, and going on about how he was fouled, it's just not a good look. It is not a good look. I don't know who's advising him and allowing him say this, but someone should pull him aside and say, 'Listen: You were beaten fair and square. The better man was Ciryl Gane.'”
Bisping also addressed Pereira’s claim that Gane was tiring. “Ciryl Gane was not getting tired, by the way. That's another thing that Alex Pereira said. He said, 'Oh, I could see it in his eyes. He was getting tired. That's why he laid on the floor after the fight.' I've laid on the floor after a series of my fights because it's done – it's over. Victory is mine. I've won. All the pressure, all the training that you've done leading up to this moment, it was all worthwhile.”
Herb Dean later released a video explaining the back-of-the-head rule, focusing on the nape of the neck.
