New video footage has emerged from the interim UFC heavyweight championship bout between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250, held at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2026. The clip captures Pereira's head coach repeatedly shouting "back of the head" during the fight, suggesting the Brazilian fighter may have been struck illegally en route to his knockout loss.
Gane, of France, defeated Pereira to claim the interim title in the main event of the historic card staged on the White House grounds. The newly surfaced footage, highlighted in late October 2026, shows the coach's real-time reaction to what he believed were blows landing to the back of Pereira's head — a prohibited area under unified MMA rules.
The incident has reignited discussion about the officiating in the high-profile matchup, though no official protest or rule change has been announced by the UFC. Pereira, a former two-division champion, has not publicly commented on the video.
