​Never leave it in the hands of the judges referee.I’ve seen a handful of missed fouls over the years, some of them serious enough to cause damage, and I’m not sure I would rank Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane in my Top 5. Then again, I’m not at home wondering “What if?” like Pereira, who failed to capture the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House last month in Washington, DC.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt appears blows to the back of the head are the new alcohol and cigarettes.Pereira recently commented on the UFC release of middleweight mauler Michel Pereira (no relation), who like his fellow Brazilian, had an issue with the way referee Herb Dean handled fouls in his UFC Baku loss to Shara Bullet on June 27 in Azerbaijan.“They could have sent this guy earlier, and maybe it would have been acceptable,” Pereira wrote on Instagram. “But paying such a high price because of a refereeing mistake is impossible to accept! 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.”Sorry Dana, but at some point this becomes “whining.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPereira, who claims he’s 13-3 despite his loss to Gane (his official record is 13-4), is expected to remain at heavyweight for his late 2026 return. An opponent has yet to be revealed; however, I have a feeling “Poatan” will petition the commission to keep Dean from calling his next fight.It happens.