Gane crushes Pereira, captures UFC's interim title...
Key takeaways
- WASHINGTON -- For the second time in his career, France's Ciryl Gane has won the UFC's interim heavyweight championship -- but this one seems more meaningful than the first one in 2021.
- Gane (14-2) stopped Alex Pereira (13-4) via TKO at 1:27 of the second round in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday.
- It was a massive statement by Gane, who is the only heavyweight to have fought all of the top names in Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall and now Pereira.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
WASHINGTON -- For the second time in his career, France's Ciryl Gane has won the UFC's interim heavyweight championship -- but this one seems more meaningful than the first one in 2021.
Gane (14-2) stopped Alex Pereira (13-4) via TKO at 1:27 of the second round in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday. The finish came after Gane dropped the former middleweight and light heavyweight champion with a jab in the center of the Octagon and followed up with a long series of unanswered elbows and punching combinations. Pereira managed to wrestle back to his feet, only to have the fight stopped as he fell backward along the fence.
It was a massive statement by Gane, who is the only heavyweight to have fought all of the top names in Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall and now Pereira. He was 0-2 with one no contest against the other three, prior to Sunday.