TLDR
- Ciryl Gane defeated Alex Pereira by TKO at 1:27 of round two at UFC Freedom 250
- Gane became a two-time interim heavyweight champion with the victory
- Pereira’s bid to become the first three-division UFC champion ended in his heavyweight debut
- The win sets up a title unification rematch between Gane and Tom Aspinall
- Pereira is uncertain about his future weight class following the loss
Sources: theScore | BJPenn.com | UFCCanada (Facebook text article-style post)
Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira via second-round TKO to capture the interim heavyweight championship at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday night at the White House in Washington. The Frenchman became a two-time interim heavyweight champion with the victory.
The stoppage came at the 1:27 mark of the second round. Gane dropped Pereira with a right hand and continued landing heavy shots while both fighters were on their feet until referee Herb Dean stepped in to end the fight.
Pereira moved up to heavyweight for the first time in his career, attempting to become the first three-division champion in UFC history. The 38-year-old Brazilian held titles at middleweight and light heavyweight before Sunday’s bout.
Gane Controls Fight Before Finish
The first round saw both fighters exchange strikes, with Gane using his movement and jabs to control the distance. Pereira landed several low kicks and attempted multiple head kicks, with one partially connecting.
Gane landed a combination late in the opening round that appeared to hurt Pereira. The French fighter continued bouncing around the cage and mixing his attacks between punches and leg kicks.
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The second round started with both men trading low kicks before Gane unleashed a decisive combination. After dropping Pereira with a right hand, Gane swarmed him with a flurry of punches that forced the referee to stop the contest.
Title Unification Bout Next for Gane
The victory sets up a rematch between Gane and undisputed heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, potentially later in 2026. The two fighters met at UFC 321 last October, but the bout was ruled a no-contest after Aspinall couldn’t continue due to an eye poke.
Aspinall remains sidelined with an eye injury, which led the promotion to book the interim title fight between Gane and Pereira. The 36-year-old Gane is now riding a four-fight unbeaten streak and hasn’t lost since March 2023.
Gane’s recent wins include victories over Alexander Volkov and Serghei Spivac before the no-contest with Aspinall. His record now stands at 14-2 in mixed martial arts competition.
Pereira suffered his first stoppage loss since his rematch with Israel Adesanya in April 2023. The Brazilian is now 1-2 in his past three Octagon appearances and holds a 13-4 overall record.
Before moving to heavyweight, Pereira most recently competed at UFC 320, where he scored a first-round TKO victory over Magomed Ankalaev to reclaim the light heavyweight title. He has gone 4-1 over his past five fights overall.
When asked about his future weight class in his postfight interview, Pereira said he wasn’t sure whether he would stay at heavyweight or return to light heavyweight. “We’re gonna sit down and look at it,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “The same way as when I lost at middleweight, I sat down with my team and looked at what we were gonna do.”
