Poatan blames refereeing and illegal strikes by Gane for UFC loss. White House: 'He wasn't a man'.

Alex Poatán after defeat in UFC 313 (Photo: Instagram/UFC Canada)

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Alex Poatán He pointed to referee Herb Dean as a key player in his defeat all with Cyryl Gane No. UFC White House, held last Sunday (14). In the co-main event, the Brazilian was surprised by a jab followed by a powerful sequence of ground and pound. According to the former champion, some of the blows hit the nape of the neck, which, in his view, should have prompted an immediate intervention by the referee before the end of the fight.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Poatan recounted the moment he was taken down and stated that he was hit with elbows and punches while trying to defend himself by grabbing his opponent's legs. According to the Brazilian, Gane took advantage of the situation to end the fight quickly, resorting to strikes he considers illegal.

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“At the moment of the jab, I fell and got stuck in his legs while he was throwing elbows and punches. Man, the guy was desperate, he landed a punch that he couldn't believe he had and wanted to finish the fight any way he could. That (illegal strikes) is what he always does. If you watch his highlights, that's what he does most often. The guy (referee) is there and he's watching. The guy was there having the opportunity of a lifetime, the referee was there to see it,” he said. Alex Poatán.

The former champion also revealed that, before the fight, he alerted the referee about the Frenchman's history. According to Poatan, he even requested special attention be paid to possible fouls, citing that he had already identified this type of strike in Gane's previous fights.

“Before the fight, there was a meeting, and I called Plínio to translate for him and said: 'finger in the eye and kick to the groin, it's not supposed to happen, but it could. Now, this guy has a very malicious history. I saw that in the videos, so I warned him to keep an eye on it.' If you watch the video, there were several punches, several elbows, and all of it was irregular. They were very strong and irregular punches,” continued the former champion.

Poatan demands punishment for Herb Dean after loss at UFC Casa Branca.

Commenting on the referee's performance, Poatan stated that, even given the difficulty of stopping a fight in progress, the rule should have been applied. He believes the omission compromised the outcome of the fight and would not have been subject to criticism from the public had the stoppage been carried out correctly.

“I put myself in the referee's place, the guy hits me, I fall, and the guy is there punching me, the guy sees that it's an illegal blow but thinks: 'how am I going to stop this fight?' Man, that's within the rules, it's irregular. Nobody would talk about the referee, the guy wasn't a real man,” said the Pataxó.

Finally, the Brazilian raised his voice, questioning Herb Dean's professional conduct, stating that the referee should not have been assigned to the fight and that his behavior deserved punishment. Poatan also highlighted the seriousness of the event and argued that situations like this should have stricter consequences within the sport.

“He shouldn’t have been refereeing that fight. In fact, he should be punished. It’s a serious job, a serious event, he should be held accountable in court. In Brazil, at least, if you see someone hitting another person and you could do something, but you just pretend and stay quiet, you’re responsible for it. Especially you, who are there for that and get paid for it. A guy like that, his friends, his children, his nephews look at him and think: ‘he’s a coward.’ Friend, they won’t say anything, but they think it. This guy is a coward. He’s not a real professional and didn’t deserve to be there,” Poatan concluded.

Watch Ciryl Gane's knockout of Alex Poatan at UFC White House.