Overview
- Multiple outlets reported on July 14 that Michel Pereira was removed from the UFC roster after losing a one-fight deal to Sharabutdin Magomedov at UFC Baku.
- Pereira’s June 27 co‑main event in Baku featured repeated hair pulls and an eye poke that referee Herb Dean warned about without deducting a point, and analysts say a single point deduction would probably have produced a draw.
- Former champion Alex Pereira and other fighters publicly condemned the roster decision, arguing that unpenalized fouls and disputed officiating should not determine a fighter’s employment.
- Reports that Sedriques Dumas was also removed have circulated but Dumas posted on social media disputing that claim and his status remains unclear.
- No state athletic commission or UFC disciplinary action against Herb Dean has been reported and the controversy has sharpened debate over commission control of referees plus the real career impact of close, foul‑filled decisions.