Alexander Volkanovski defends Alex Pereira, thinks Ciryl Gane’s illegal strikes made ‘direct contact on the brain’

At UFC White House on June 14, 2026, Alex Pereira was knocked out by Ciryl Gane in the interim heavyweight championship fight, with Pereira subsequently alleging that Gane landed illegal strikes to the back of the head and that referee Herb Dean failed to intervene. Fellow UFC star Alexander Volkanovski has publicly backed Pereira's complaints, stating on his YouTube channel that Gane did indeed land back-of-the-head shots that he believes made 'direct contact on the brain.' Volkanovski acknowledged Gane fought well and may have finished the fight anyway, but maintained the illegal strikes were real and the referee should have acted.