Alex Pereira blames referee Herb Dean for Michel Pereira’s surprising UFC roster cut

Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira is ramping up his ongoing feud with referee Herb Dean after a UFC Baku fighter’s release.

The UFC opted to part ways with middleweight contender Michel Pereira after his recent loss to Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov at UFC Baku. Michel’s release came after a controversial bout in which Magomedov appeared to pull his hair multiple times and poked him in the eye, all without any point deductions.

If a point had been deducted, Michel vs. Magomedov would’ve ended in a draw after all three judges scored it 29-28 in Magomedov’s favor. But referee Herb Dean opted not to deduct any points from Magomedov despite multiple warnings.

Enter Alex Pereira, who has recently called for the UFC to ‘fire’ Dean after his loss at UFC Freedom 250. Multiple potentially illegal blows to the back of the head prompted a strong reaction from Pereira in the days following the defeat to Ciryl Gane.

After Michel’s release and controversial fight officiated by Dean, Pereira didn’t miss the opportunity to reignite his ongoing feud with the longtime referee.

Alex Pereira ramps up Herb Dean feud after Michel Pereira gets surprise release

In a recent Instagram post, Pereira reacted to Michel’s surprising release and blamed Dean’s officiating for the split.

“They could have sent this guy earlier, and maybe it would have been acceptable, but paying such a high price because of a refereeing mistake is impossible to accept!” Pereira said of Michel’s release.

“The UFC has already done, and continues to do, everything I ask within the organization’s reach. But it’s sad to see this and not be upset. Many athletes don’t say anything, but tomorrow it could be you going through this kind of situation, and there will be no point in sending me a message asking for help.

“It’s sad that not even the UFC has control over this, and because of that, our sport keeps being tarnished,” Pereira continued. “My kickboxing record is 40 fights: 33 wins and 7 losses. My MMA record is 16 fights: 13 wins and 3 losses. My Vale Tudo record is 1 fight and 1 loss.”

Were you surprised by Michel Pereira’s UFC release? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!