Andy
Foster believes Herb Dean made
the right call in the Ciryl Gane
vs. Alex
Pereira bout.

The California State Athletic Commission executive director
defended Dean’s handling of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship interim title bout between Gane
and Pereira. The
UFC Freedom 250 co-headliner ended in a technical knockout
victory for the Frenchman, but Pereira subsequently pointed out
that illegal back-of-the-head shots were pivotal in the finishing
sequence.

CSAC official says other referees would've done the same as
Herb Dean at UFC Freedom 250

Dean has faced immense scrutiny in recent weeks after Pereira
accused him of mishandling his loss to Gane. The spotlight has been
firmly on the veteran referee since the White House event, with
fans and fighters pointing out alleged errors in his past and
recent outings.

Pereira argues that Dean should have intervened after Gane landed
multiple punches to the back of his head before the finish.
However, Foster believes that the right call was made, claiming
that other high-profile referees would've also let the bout
continue.

“That looked like a normal fight to me,†Foster told MMA Fighting.
“There was no doubt a few of them got through and hit [the back of
the head]. The question is what do you do in that situation? Do you
stop the action? I don't think many referees would have, if any,
certainly at the high level.â€

Foster believes Dean handled the situation appropriately.

“I told Herb, in my view, you don't want to warn a lot of
times.â€

Foster then explained that halting the action for the fouls could
have unfairly altered the outcome by allowing Pereira time to
recover after being rocked with a legal shot.

“That's the dilemma,†Foster said. “So, what do you do? That is
exactly Herb's dilemma, and I think it's worse if he stops it.â€

He further added that the criticism aimed at Dean was excessive and
reiterated his full confidence in the longtime official.

“I think Herb Dean's a good referee,†Foster added. “You'll see
Herb Dean on the main event of my upcoming UFCs because Herb Dean
is the senior referee in California. Herb Dean has my full
confidence.â€

CSAC executive director Andy Foster
responds to complaints about Herb Dean after
Ciryl
Gane’s controversial win over Alex
Pereira at
#UFCWhiteHouse:

“I think Herb Dean's a
good referee. … Herb Dean has
my full confidence.”

(🎥 @DamonMartin)
pic.twitter.com/NjHQYAa4tj

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting)
July 22, 2026

Islam
Makhachev is leaving no stone unturned in preparation for his
first welterweight title defense, roping in fighters with a similar
build to Ian
Garry.

Makhachev is scheduled to put his
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on the line
against Garry in the main event of UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The
Russian has reportedly brought in Alvarez from Spain to help him
get familiar with his upcoming Irish foe's frame.

Joel Alvarez helps Islam Makhachev prepare for Ian Garry's
height, range and distance game

While Makhachev is a heavy favorite going into UFC 330, a lot has
been made of Garry's defensive savviness and distance management.
Alvarez stands at 6-foot-2 and is also adept at fighting at a
distance and using his range as an advantage, which is likely why
he's been summoned to assist Makhachev. The Dagestani's teammate,

Professional Fighters League champion Usman
Nurmagomedov, has also been mimicking Garry ahead of UFC
330.

The former lightweight champion and current No.1 pound-for-pound
fighter previously praised Alvarez after his knockout win over
Thiago
Moises in 2021 and the Spaniard subsequently expressed
gratitude while revealing that he and his training partner would
role-play Makhachev and Khabib
Nurmagomedov during sparring.

Alvarez is 8-3 in the UFC with all of his losses coming against
elite opponents. The 33-year-old is coming off a submission defeat
to Yaroslav
Amosov at
UFC 328 this past May that snapped a four-fight winning
streak.

Alvarez's jiu jitsu coach, Tito Beltran, revealed the news on
Instagram while announcing that “El Fenomeno” won't be available
for a camp in August in Valencia, Spain.

Jessica
Andrade is not above working a regular job to make ends
meet.

The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight titleholder has been
sidelined for nearly a year while recovering from a shoulder
injury. During her hiatus from competition, the Brazilian has
turned to working as a delivery driver.

Jessica Andrade explains why she’s working as a delivery driver
during her UFC injury layoff

Andrade, who has fought 30 times in the UFC, winning the 115-pound
title and also challenging for the flyweight belt, has been away
from action for almost a year now. However, it hasn't stopped her
from finding alternate paths of income.

“Thank God I managed to save some money, so things are going well,â€
Andrade said in an interview with Ag Fight. “But whenever I need
to, I work as a delivery driver. I deliver meals and things like
that. I just pick up orders through an app and make the deliveries.
I do whatever it takes. I'm not afraid of hard work. I can do just
about anything.â€

She also took up another project recently, helping a friend
renovate their house.

“Recently I started a project at [a friend's] house, installing
artificial turf,†she said. “Her backyard was nothing but rocks. I
went there and removed all the rocks from the ground. I thought,
‘I'll give this a try. If I'm good at it, it's one more way we can
make some extra money whenever we need it.'â€

Andrade has spoken publicly about financial struggles before. In
2018, she revealed that she sold UFC memorabilia to help make ends
meet. She also disclosed that her former management failed to pay
taxes owed from several of her 2023 bouts.

While Andrade has yet to lock in her next fight, she remains
focused on her rehabilitation as she works towards her Octagon
return.