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Alex Pereira says ‘something has to be done’ about UFC referee Herb Dean, after his management of ‘Poatan’s’ controversial loss at UFC White House.

Pereira suffered a round two knockout loss to Ciryl Gane in their interim heavyweight title fight. Gane scored a knockdown with a well-timed jab before swinging wildly for a finish. Pereira believes many of the shots Gane landed in their finishing sequence were to the back of the head, and therefore illegal.

Dean, 55, is a former MMA fighter and veteran referee of 2,697 fights, and has won referee of the year ten times. Despite this, Pereira plans to block him from refereeing his fights in the future.

‘His Time Is Up,’ Alex Pereira Wants Something Done About Herb Dean

“100% [I will block Dean from my fights in the future],” Pereira told Ariel Helwani, translated by his coach Plinio Cruz. “Something gotta be done, I think his time is up. I think he already did enough. And just like on a regular nine-to-five, on a regular business, he’s been there too long already.

“And now he’s starting to mess up, and maybe he shouldn’t be there anymore so people don’t end up getting hurt because of him.”

Dean denied wrongdoing in a video posted on Instagram, explaining his interpretation of the Unified Rules of MMA and arguing that the strikes were legal. His interpretation of the rule aligns with the official definition of “back of the head.”

What Is Back of the Head in MMA?

The Unified Rules define the back of the head as “the area starting at the crown of the head and running directly down the centerline of the head with a one-inch variance on each side.

“The entire rear portion of the neck is also illegal to strike, starting at the occipital junction and stopping at the top of the trapezius.”

Did Cyril Gane Foul Alex Pereira?

Like many rules in MMA, the back-of-the-head rule is ambiguous and hard to enforce.

Gane’s finishing sequence is open to interpretation, and any speculation is just that. Gane has been scrutinised before for fouls in fights, such as poking Tom Aspinall in the eyes and elbowing Junior Dos Santos in the back of the head.

Herb Dean Has Been Criticised Before

Dean isn’t free from scrutiny either. Often described as the gold standard for MMA refereeing, he’s had his fair share of controversies. The veteran official has often been called out for late stoppages, and one of his most talked-about stoppages was the one in the fight between Jai Herbert and Francisco Trinaldo.

Trinaldo knocked out Herbert with a looping overhand, leaving the Brit stiff on the floor. Dean watched on by, letting Trinaldo land a few more hits on his helpless opponent. This incident led to the removal of fighter-turned-commentator Dan Hardy, who loudly protested the stoppage from cageside.

Dean justified the stoppage on Instagram, saying, “By no means was that a late stoppage. . . . Fighters get rocked all the time but we’re looking at his actions. He’s tracking his opponent. He knows where his opponent is. He’s put both arms in between him and his opponent. He’s lifted his leg up, head off the mat. He’s doing everything I can ask for him to do to stay in that fight. There wasn’t a bad stoppage.” h/t MMA Fighting