Alex Pereira, the two-division UFC champion, is set to make his heavyweight debut on June 14. He will face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship. This marks a historic moment as Pereira aims to become the first fighter in the promotion’s history to win titles in three different weight classes.
After relinquishing his light heavyweight title earlier this year, Pereira has been focusing on bulking up for his move to heavyweight. He acknowledges that gaining extra weight may have affected his speed, but he insists that his overall feeling remains the same. In a recent statement, Pereira said: “I feel the exact same. Obviously, it’s not possible to bulk up to a much higher weight class, bigger, and not lose maybe a little bit of speed. We’ll see in the fight. But I feel the exact same. I just added, but did not lose anything.”
Many within the MMA community consider this to be Pereira’s toughest challenge to date. Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has shared his perspective, predicting that Ciryl Gane will defeat Pereira by decision. Aspinall noted Gane’s significant size advantage and exceptional movement, stating, “Gane is a massive heavyweight who moves a lot, moves really, really well, is really fluid on his feet.”
Similarly, following a review of Pereira’s recent sparring footage, Michael Bisping commented that Gane would possess a distinct speed advantage over Pereira, adding, “Ciryl Gane is going to have the speed advantage. He’s also going to be lighter on the feet.”
Furthermore, Gane is expected to have a two-inch reach advantage over Pereira in their upcoming bout. This reach disparity is reportedly the largest Pereira has encountered in his UFC career.
