Pereira accuses Gane of illegal blows in UFC Freedom loss

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Pereira made bold accusations against Ciryl Gane following his brutal loss in the co-main event of the UFC Freedom 250 White House event.

On June 18, 2026, the former UFC light heavyweight king went viral on social media after releasing a video statement, in which he claimed that Gane landed illegal blows that helped him win the fight and clinch the interim heavyweight title.

Gane handed Pereira one of his worst losses in the UFC, scoring a decisive technical knockout win in the second round with a barrage of hammer fists, finished by a vicious left hook.

According to Pereira, Gane hit him several times in the illegal area at the back of the head, which caused him to stay on the back foot and regain his senses.

“I think if it weren’t for those punches, I wouldn’t be in that situation,” Pereira said.

“When the jab landed, I fell and grabbed his legs. Throwing elbows and punches, the guy was desperate. He landed a punch that he couldn’t even believe.”

The opening round saw both fighters gauge their desired distance as Pereira fought safely, throwing only leg kicks, while Gane relied on his snappy jabs from a southpaw stance.

All hell broke loose in the following round when Gane finally cracked Pereira’s high guard with well-executed in-and-out movement.

After momentarily disengaging, Gane caught Pereira off guard with quick step-through footwork and tagged him with a devastating hook.

The French star then pounced on Pereira, capping the match with 20 seconds of brutal ground and pound, followed by three more hooks that got the job done.

Pereira also criticized Herb Dean, the official referee of the fight, questioning why the veteran UFC official didn’t intervene or give any warning to Gane.

“The guy sees it’s an illegal hit,” Pereira added.

“He shouldn’t have been refereeing that fight. To be honest, a guy like that should be punished. The ref was there watching.”