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Alex Pereira Wants Herb Dean Away From His Future Fights, But Can a UFC Fighter Choose His Referee?

Can UFC fighters choose or reject referees assigned to their fights? Here’s what the rules say about challenging referee assignments and who has the final say.

Published: Tuesday, 27 October 2026 at 1:10 PM
Alex Pereira Wants Herb Dean Away From His Future Fights, But Can a UFC Fighter Choose His Referee?
Key Things to Know
  • Alex Pereira wants referee Herb Dean excluded from officiating his future UFC bouts.
  • Pereira accused Dean of ignoring alleged strikes to the back of the head against Ciryl Gane.
  • Pereira suffered a second-round TKO loss to Gane at UFC Freedom 250 in June.
The Story in 60 Seconds

Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira stated he wants referee Herb Dean kept away from officiating his future bouts. The frustration stems from his controversial heavyweight interim title defeat against Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 in June, where Pereira suffered a second-round TKO.

Pereira accused the veteran referee of failing to intervene over alleged illegal strikes to the back of the head prior to stopping the fight. Following the loss, Pereira has scheduled his next heavyweight appearance against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335.

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