Ciryl Gane knocks out Alex Pereira in round two to reclaim interim UFC heavyweight title

Ciryl Gane is the interim UFC heavyweight champion once more after stopping Alex Pereira at 1:27 of round two in the co-main event of UFC White House. The Frenchman controlled the fight on the feet before a perfectly timed jab dropped Pereira, and a subsequent barrage of punches forced the referee to wave it off.

Pereira came out aggressively in the first round, targeting Gane’s head and legs with kicks while Gane worked his lead jab and mixed in brief takedown attempts to keep the Brazilian guessing. Just before the horn, Pereira landed a sharp combination to remind Gane of the danger he carried.

The second round told a different story. Gane’s confidence visibly grew, and he cracked Pereira with a crushing jab that sent the former two-division champion to the canvas. A series of elbows to the side of Pereira’s head nearly ended it there, but the fight returned to the feet — only for Gane to unload another barrage of punches that left Pereira unable to defend himself as the referee stepped in.

“We worked on it,” Gane said after the finish. “I’m really proud of myself, really proud of my team. We knew it was possible to do that. We knew, everybody knows I’m a great athlete. I’m really technical but people underestimate me. We will see. Now I just want to say thank you.”

Gane also made clear where he wants his next fight to take place: “Next, everybody knows, let’s do that in Paris in September.”

That next bout will be a title unification fight against Tom Aspinall, who holds the undisputed heavyweight belt. Aspinall is currently recovering from an eye injury before he can return to competition. The victory is a significant one for Gane, who entered the fight as a heavy underdog against Pereira — a man who had been chasing history as a potential three-division UFC champion. Instead, it is Gane who leaves holding gold.