Overview
- The fight ended when Ciryl Gane knocked out Alex Pereira after landing several strikes to the back of Pereira’s head that referee Herb Dean did not penalize, a sequence that took place on June 14 on the White House South Lawn.
- Pereira has made clear he is not blaming Gane for the blows and says referees must police illegal strikes because fighters cannot be expected to police each other in the heat of a fight.
- Two months after the bout Pereira remains publicly upset with Dean and has continued to call attention to what he says was a missed enforcement call that changed his shot at becoming a three‑division UFC champion.
- The California State Athletic Commission has publicly supported Dean and said it will seek clearer rule language that would classify fouls as incidental, reckless or malicious to make enforcement less subjective.
- No commissions have overturned the result or announced a public suspension of Dean, leaving the dispute focused on possible rule reform and how athletic bodies track and discipline referees going forward.