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Ciryl Gane brutally knocked out Alex Pereira in the second round with punches to become the new interim UFC heavyweight champion.
In Round 1, Gane controlled the majority of the action by staying on the outside and landing more punches throughout. Pereira did land some big shots of his own, but you have to give the first round to Gane for more activity and more effective strikes. 10-9 Gane
In Round 2, Gane came out strong and landed a huge punch that dropped Pereira. He then landed some nasty elbows on the ground, but Pereira got up somehow and survived. But Gane kept hurting Pereira badly with more strikes until referee Herb Dean finally stepped in and stopped the fight.
Gane is now the new UFC interim heavyweight champion of the world, and he has earned another undisputed title shot with it.
What’s Next for Ciryl Gane?
By capturing the interim UFC heavyweight title, Gane has punched his ticket to a rematch with UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
The two will hopefully meet later this year in a title unification bout, as Aspinall is still healing up with an eye injury suffered when Gane accidentally poked him in the eye last October at UFC 321.
The first time Gane and Aspinall fought last fall, Aspinall entered that fight as a huge favorite. But this time around, you would have to think the odds will be much closer. Aspinall will still likely be the betting favorite, but Gane is going to be a popular underdog pick after this incredible KO win over Pereira.
Hopefully, Aspinall can get cleared to fight soon so he can get back to full sparring and prepare for this fight against Gane, with the two ideally fighting before 2026 is up.
UFC Freedom 250 Full Results
- Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje
- Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane via TKO (punches) –R2, 1:27
- Sean O’Malley def. Aiemann Zahabi via TKO (punches) – R2, 4:02
- Josh Hokit def. Derrick Lewis via TKO (punches) – R2, 4:09
- Mauricio Ruffy def. Michael Chandler via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:29
- Bo Nickal def. Kyle Daukaus via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:34
- Diego Lopes def. Steve Garcia via KO (punches) – R2, 2:42.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin