Alex Pereira and others, including myself, have called out long-time mixed martial arts referee Herb Dean for his failure to stop or warn Ciryl Gane about strikes to the back of Poatan’s head at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday. Dean has responded and he offered a clarification of the rule which makes his situation better, but doesn’t completely address his silence during the pivotal moment of the co-main event. Let’s talk MMA.
Key Facts At A Glance
- Event: UFC Freedom 250, White House South Lawn, June 14, 2026
- Result: Ciryl Gane def. Alex Pereira, second-round TKO, interim heavyweight title
- Controversy: Pereira accuses Gane of illegal back-of-head shots and rips Dean for not intervening
- Dean’s response: A video defending his officiating and clarifying the back-of-head rule
- Status: No official review or overturn has been announced
What Did Alex Pereira Say About Herb Dean?
Pereira had strong words for Dean. The former champion said the referee “is not a man,” argued that “a guy like that should be punished,” and insisted he should have faced “legal consequences,” while calling on Dana White to discipline him. Pereira wants the result reviewed and he also believes an instant rematch is in order.
The personal shots came on top of Pereira’s main charge: that Gane landed a string of illegal elbows and punches to the back of his head while he was hurt, and that Dean let it continue. Pereira said he flagged that exact danger in the pre-fight rules meeting, a detail Sean O’Malley corroborated, recalling the translator walking Dean through the back-of-the-head rule.
How Did Herb Dean Respond to the ‘Illegal Blow’ Claims?
Dean is never one to get into mean-spirited back-and-forth exchanges. In a video he posted on Tuesday, Dean calmly explained the rule is mislabeled. It shouldn’t refer to strikes to the back of the head as illegal, it should be the “nape of the neck,” as that is the real restricted area. He had an assistant with their head taped in the restricted areas to demonstrate.
While that rule can be confirmed in official documents, there is no way Dean saw each of those strikes that landed on the back of Pereira’s head and didn’t think that one or two ventured to the nape of the neck. Because of how close it was, it would make sense for him to at least issue a verbal caution, like “watch the back of the head,” or something similar. That never happened.
Take a look at the video below from the 0:25 to 0:32 mark. There are strikes that land on the nape of the neck. During this time, Dean tells Pereira, “fight back.”
Does Herb Dean’s Explanation Hold Up?
The clarification is big for the education of MMA fans and it makes the no-call understandable. However, it’s hard to believe none of those shots were illegal. Even with the restricted zone being as narrow as Dean describes, Gane threw enough shots in that flurry that it strains belief every one stayed legal.
A simple verbal warning would have cost nothing and covered the gray area, which is why the silence is the part that still doesn’t sit right, even if Pereira was already hurt enough by the legal jab that the finish may have come regardless.
What’s Next for Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane?
An instant rematch is unlikely. Gane is more likely to face Tom Aspinall in a rematch or Josh Hokit in his next fight. For Pereira, that likely means rebuilding rather than an immediate do-over, though the former two-division champion can still push his case and has signaled he could refuse to fight under Dean again.
Neither the UFC nor the commission has indicated any review, so Gane’s interim title and the official TKO stand.
