Alex Pereira: 'My focus is 100% on the heavyweight division'

Alex Pereira has drawn a line in the sand regarding referee Herb Dean, declaring he will not fight again if the UFC insists Dean officiate his next bout. The declaration came during a nearly 30-minute conversation with fellow Brazilian Renato "Moicano" on his YouTube channel, following Pereira's earlier criticism of Dean's handling of his White House fight against Ciryl Gane.

Pereira took issue with Dean's post-fight explanation video clarifying the prohibited strike zone on the back of the head and neck. "This video is a joke," Pereira said. "The guy puts a coin and says here you can't hit, but there's an area around it where you put a limit. The fact is that if he signaled during the fight, my opponent would certainly think about the possibility of the fight being stopped there." He called for the UFC to penalize referees the way it does fighters, questioning why Dana White fires fighters but not referees.

While Pereira did not pursue an appeal to change the Gane fight's result to a no contest, his stance on future Dean assignments is absolute. "If in my next fight the commission insists that it has to be him, I won't fight anymore, period," the heavyweight champion said. "Thank God I am very happy with everything I have already achieved. My dream was never to feel hungry."

On his health, Pereira reported undergoing head exams to check for lasting effects from the bout and is awaiting results. Pending a clean bill of health, he said he would make himself available to the UFC for a rematch. "My focus now is 100% on the heavyweight division," Pereira said. "Actually my focus is the belt, but whatever the UFC decides, I will be ready."