Alex Pereira pities Herb Dean but still wants him away from his fights

The former two-division champion, who criticised Dean after losing to Ciryl Gane at UFC White House in June, said he stands by his complaints as he prepares to face Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Fri 23 Oct, 01:04 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Alex Pereira has admitted he sometimes feels bad about the boos Herb Dean now hears from UFC crowds, but says he would still choose to keep the veteran referee away from his fights.

The Brazilian blamed Dean for the finish of his interim heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC White House in June, which Gane won by second-round TKO. Pereira's complaint was that Dean should have stepped in when Gane landed strikes to the back of his head while he was down, and that the referee failed to protect him by letting the action continue.

Dean has since been jeered repeatedly when introduced as the referee for UFC bouts, and the hostility grew after Pereira's comments.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Pereira said he sees what is happening and recognises that refereeing is Dean's job. He said his criticism was about the referee's role in protecting fighters and preventing something worse happening to them, that he had to speak his mind, and that in some ways he does feel sorry for Dean.

That sympathy does not extend to wanting him back in the Octagon with him. Pereira said he did not know how assignments work on fight night, but that if he had a choice, Dean would not referee his fights again.

The decision is not his to make, because referees are appointed by the relevant athletic commission.

Pereira returns against Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of UFC 335 on 12 December at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In this story

Alex Pereira Ciryl Gane Sergei Pavlovich