UFC Freedom 250 results, highlights: Ciryl Gane earns interim title with brutal beating of Alex Pereira
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira via second-round TKO at the 1:27 mark to win the interim heavyweight championship for the second time, with referee Herb Dean halting the bout as Pereira slumped against the Octagon fence.
- Gane landed a counter jab that dropped Pereira, then followed up with heavy shots and elbows that put Pereira on wobbly legs multiple times before the stoppage, capping what Gane called arguably the best performance of his career.
- Alex Pereira, a former two-division champion, was attempting to win UFC gold in a third division but said afterward he'll sit down with his team to decide between remaining at heavyweight or returning to light heavyweight.
- Gane is now positioned for a heavyweight title rematch with champion Tom Aspinall, who has been sidelined since their first fight was halted after Gane poked Aspinall in both eyes.
- Gane proposed Paris in September for the next bout, telling reporters, "Next, let's do it in Paris in September," after praising his team's preparation for the win.
- Pereira framed the loss as a calculated risk, saying, "If I hadn't taken a risk every time I fought, I wouldn't be here today," while leaving his future weight class unresolved.
Why it matters: Gane's second interim title creates a clear path to unify the heavyweight division against Tom Aspinall, who has been sidelined since their eye-poke stoppage. For Pereira, a third-division title bid ended in brutal fashion, leaving his future weight class — heavyweight or light heavyweight — unresolved as he weighs a return.
