Ciryl Gane is tipped to pull off a minor upset and claim the interim heavyweight title.
Alex Pereira boasts violent knockout power, but Gane is the natural heavyweight and he can use his size and mobility to dictate distance and pace, and out-point ‘Poatan’ over five rounds.
Key Numbers – Will Pereira Avoid 2nd Decision Defeat?
- Alex Pereira’s last UFC defeat came via decision
- Alex Pereira has lost UFC title fights in two other weight classes
- Ciryl Gane has a 60% striking defense
- Ciryl Gane has only lost to Jon Jones & Francis Ngannou during his career
Alex Pereira Has Won 13 Of 16 MMA Fights
Alex Pereira is a former UFC middleweight and light-heavyweight champion with a professional record of 13-3 (11 KOs).
Pereira crossed over into mixed martial arts following a glittering career as a kickboxer, and after four wins on the minor MMA scene he signed with the UFC.
He wasted little time in storming into middleweight title contention, following up a second-round knockout of Andreas Michailidis with a unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva.
The 38-year-old Brazilian then secured a shot at the championship with a 156-second knockout of Sean Strickland.
Pereira took on former kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya, who had been on a dominant run as middleweight champion, and shocked the world as he knocked out ‘The Last Stylebender’ in the final round.
‘Poatan’ surrendered the championship back to Adesanya in the rematch though, losing via second-round knockout, and instead of seeking a trilogy fight he moved up to light-heavyweight.
He debuted in his new weight class by edging Jan Blachowicz by split decision, and then became a two-weight world champion in November 2023 when he stopped Jiri Prochazka with strikes in the second round to claim the 205lb crown.
Pereira went on to successfully defend the championship with a second round knockout of Prochazka and a fourth-round stoppage of Khalil Rountree Jr, only to see his reign end in March of last year when he dropped a decision to Magomed Ankalaev.
The Brazilian regained the title in the rematch, stopping Ankalaev in just 80 seconds, but later vacated the championship in order to move up to heavyweight.
Ciryl Gane Unbeaten In UFC Since March 2023
Ciryl Gane is a former interim UFC heavyweight champion with a professional record of 13-2 (6 KOs, 3 Subs) with 1 No Contest.
Gane joined the UFC in 2019 after winning three fights on the Canadian MMA scene, and debuted with back-to-back submission wins as he stopped Raphael Pessoa and Don’Tale Mayes.
The 36-year-old Frenchman then out-pointed Tanner Boser, before stepping up the level of competition to surge into title contention.
He knocked out former champion Junior dos Santos in the second round, and then out-pointed both Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexander Volkov to earn a fight for the interim heavyweight crown.
Gane claimed the belt with a third-round knockout of Derrick Lewis, only to come up short when he challenged for the official championship, dropping a decision to Francis Ngannou.
‘Bon Gamin’ put that behind him with a third-round knockout of Tui Tuivasa, securing a second shot at the heavyweight crown.
However, he again failed to complete a rise to the heavyweight summit, as he was submitted by Jon Jones in the first round of their fight.
Gane rebounded with a second-round knockout of Serghei Spivac and a split decision success against Alexander Volkov, setting up a fight with Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight title last October.
However, an accident eye poke brought to a premature end to the fight, resulting in a No Contest.