Dana White backs Alex Pereira's illegal strikes complaint

UFC president Dana White says Alex Pereira has a point about illegal strikes in his heavyweight title loss to Ciryl Gane.

Pereira dropped a second-round TKO to Gane at UFC White House on June 14 in Washington, D.C., cutting short his bid to become a three-division champion. In the days since, the Brazilian light heavyweight kingpin has voiced frustration that referee Herb Dean did not stop the fight when Gane landed blows to the back of his head during the finishing sequence.

White defends Pereira's right to complain

Speaking at the UFC Fight Night 279 post-fight presser Saturday, White said the strikes were clear on video but acknowledged the split-second nature of scrambles makes enforcement difficult. "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, sometimes the fouls happen," White said, per MMAjunkie.com. "Maybe Dean should've said, 'Watch the back of the head' or warned him or something like that."

White stopped short of criticizing Dean outright but made clear he takes Pereira's complaint seriously. "Alex Pereira is not a whiner. And Alex Pereira doesn't complain about things or make excuses after fights," White said, according to the same report. "So I have to believe that he believed that. That he truly believed that was true."

Whether Pereira's camp files a formal appeal with the Washington commission remains to be seen. White said that decision lies outside his jurisdiction. Pereira has said he intends to stay at heavyweight regardless of the outcome.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Dana White addresses Alex Pereira’s complaints toward UFC White House officiating