Andy Foster responds to complaints about Herb Dean after Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane at UFC White House - MMA Fighting

What the report says

MMA Fighting reports that California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster defended veteran referee Herb Dean amid renewed criticism following Alex Pereira’s TKO loss to Ciryl Gane at the UFC White House card in June. The controversy centered on a finishing sequence in which Gane dropped Pereira and then landed follow-up punches, including some that appeared to hit the back of Pereira’s head, an illegal target under MMA rules.

According to the report, Pereira has publicly blamed Dean for not intervening or penalizing Gane. Foster, who said he watched the sequence in real time at the event, told MMA Fighting he viewed the exchange as a common high-level fight scenario: Gane was trying to finish after a knockdown while Pereira was moving and defending, creating a situation where some strikes could shift from legal to illegal contact as the grounded fighter scrambled.

Foster said stopping the action could have significantly changed the fight by giving Pereira recovery time, and he suggested that Dean faced a difficult judgment call. He also reaffirmed confidence in Dean, calling him a senior referee in California and saying he expects to keep assigning him major UFC bouts in the state.

The report adds that Foster sees a broader need for clearer foul enforcement. He said he plans to propose revised language that would move away from simply labeling fouls intentional or unintentional, instead using categories such as incidental, reckless and malicious. The issue matters because referee discretion over fouls, point deductions and fight-ending sequences can directly affect results and athlete safety in MMA.