Alex Pereira: Focus '100%' on Heavyweight After Dean Controversy

Alex Pereira says he will refuse to fight if Herb Dean is assigned to referee his next bout, following the controversial stoppage in his UFC White House loss to Ciryl Gane last week.

The former heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion spoke with Renato Moicano on YouTube Tuesday, a day after posting a video criticizing Dean's handling of the heavyweight title fight. When Dean posted his own explanation video showing where illegal strikes are prohibited, Pereira dismissed it as insufficient. "This video is a joke," he told Moicano, per Sherdog. "The guy puts a coin and says here you can't hit, but there's an area around it where you put a limit. The fact is that if he signaled during the fight, my opponent would certainly think about the possibility of the fight being stopped there."

Pereira Won't Accept Dean as Referee Moving Forward

The Brazilian made clear he considers the matter serious enough to walk away from a fight rather than work with Dean again. "I don't know how the refereeing of a fight is defined, but if in my next fight the commission insists that it has to be him, I won't fight anymore, period," Pereira said. He added that UFC president Dana White should consider firing referees the same way he releases fighters.

Pereira confirmed he underwent head scans Tuesday and is awaiting results from the concussion protocol. He reported no unusual symptoms beyond normal pain from the strikes absorbed. Once cleared medically, he plans to make himself available for a rematch with Gane. "My focus now is 100% on the heavyweight division," he said. "Actually my focus is the belt, but whatever the UFC decides, I will be ready."

The UFC has not yet announced whether Pereira will receive an immediate rematch or when he might return to competition.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Alex Pereira: 'My focus is 100% on the heavyweight division'