UFC Freedom 250: Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane Preview & Prediction
Alex Pereira looks to make UFC history by becoming the first fighter to secure a belt in three separate weight divisions, with former interim heavyweight champion, Ciryl Gane, standing in his way.
Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane facts
What time are Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Freedom 250? White House, Washington, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Freedom 250? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Freedom 250
What TV channel is UFC Freedom 250 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Freedom 250? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Freedom 250 card
Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje (Lightweight)
Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane (Heavyweight)
Sean O'Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi (Bantamweight)
Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis (Heavyweight)
Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler (Lightweight)
Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus (Middleweight)
Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia (Featherweight)
Alex Pereira: Can "Poatan" continue his legendary run towards GOAT status?
One of the promotion's most recognizable and celebrated faces, former Glory Kickboxing standout, Alex Pereira (13-3), has achieved more in twelve UFC fights than most MMA fighters do in a lifetime. Seizing the middleweight title from Israel Adesanya in 2022, Pereira would not be deterred by a KO loss to "The Last Stylebender" in their rematch, moving up to light heavyweight to win and defend the title three times. A decisive loss to Magomed Ankalaev had many writing the Brazilian off, only for Pereira to demolish the Dagestani in their rematch to regain his throne in his final bout at 205 pounds. One of the heaviest hitters the promotion has ever seen, Pereira is renowned for his one shot KO power and dynamic striking arsenal, implementing a solid grappling game into his overall skillset to underline his status as one of the UFC's most elite competitors.
Ciryl Gane: "Bon Gamin" looks to play spoiler and earn a second crack at Tom Aspinall
Posting a 10-2 record since joining the promotion as an undefeated prospect back in 2019, Ciryl Gane (13-2, 1 NC) remains one of the most highly regarded names in the heavyweight division. Arguably the best pure striker at 265 pounds, the Frenchman is ridiculously light on his feet for a man of his size, bouncing in and out of range like a cat to land a steady diet of straight punches and teep kicks. While he rarely has need to call on it, he's also got a tricky submission game in his back pocket to fall back upon. The Frenchman's only losses have come against the true elite of the division in Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones; he was arguably on the way to winning the first round against Tom Aspinall before a devastating eye poke from Gane resulted in a NC.
Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane prediction
Gane is an extremely live dog here. He's an incredible striker with a creative arsenal of techniques, impeccable timing, and excellent footwork; he's also arguably the only man outside of Tom Aspinall who can match Pereira's speed at heavyweight. Magomed Ankalaev, a much slower, less dynamic striker, proved that "Poatan" is not impervious to losing a kickboxing battle. Gane is incredibly elusive and could well evade Pereira's attempts to find the KO, potshotting him on the outside to earn the victory.
However, a concern here is his lack of stopping power in contrast to Pereira. The Frenchman has KOs on his record, but they're largely of the "death by a thousand cuts" variety as opposed to one-hitter quitters. Considering that he's probably the most technical pure striker at heavyweight, Gane also has a borderline hilarious tendency to completely throw technique out of the window when he thinks he has his opponents hurt, a habit that could hurt him very badly against a counter puncher of "Poatan's" caliber.
Five rounds is an extremely long time to survive when faced with a finisher like Pereira. Outside of the Brazilian's loss to Ankalaev where he looked uncharacteristically flat and tentative, the only way to get him out of there is to nail him to the canvas. Gane has never been knocked out and is notoriously difficult to hit clean, but if anybody's going to do it, it's likely to be a former Glory Kickboxing standout with murderous KO power in his hands.
Prediction: Alex Pereira to win by KO
