Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira has taken another shot at Ciryl Gane after the Frenchman was elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion.
With Tom Aspinall officially vacating the UFC heavyweight title due to ongoing eye complications, Gane’s reign as interim champion has come to an end. The UFC has now promoted him to undisputed heavyweight champion, but Pereira clearly isn’t impressed.
The Brazilian, who suffered a stoppage loss to Gane in their interim heavyweight title fight at UFC White House earlier this year, reacted on social media by mocking the new champion’s résumé.
Sharing a graphic on Instagram, Pereira highlighted several controversial moments from Gane’s career, including losses to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, a disputed decision win over Alexander Volkov, and his own defeat to the Frenchman.
“Lost to Francis Ngannou. Lost to Jon Jones. Volkov was daylight robbery. 10 illegal head shots to Poatan. Now heavyweight champion 😂😂😂.”
“Champion 😂😂😂.”
The latest jab continues Pereira’s long-running criticism of the result from their June clash. Since the fight ended, the
Brazilian has repeatedly argued that illegal blows to the back of his head played a role in the stoppage loss.
Following the bout, Pereira mocks Gane by insisting the result should carry an asterisk due to what he believes were missed fouls during the fight.
The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion has also made it clear that he wants a rematch.
Recently, Pereira outlined his desire to face Gane again and challenge for the heavyweight title, believing another opportunity would allow him to prove himself and potentially capture a third UFC belt.
“After much time after resting what I needed to do, after much work, after my last fight, many people are talking with who will Alex fight?” Pereira said recently.”I’m seeing many opinions but I think the fight that makes sense is Ciryl Gane.”
“That’s the fight. I’m going to work on that and from what I’m seeing, it’s something that’s going to happen. How the last fight ended, there were illegal shots.”
“I think now with another opportunity I can come back and show what I can do, what I can achieve, which is the third belt. I’m very excited for that and I’ll work for that. Chama!”
Gane’s path to the undisputed title has generated debate among fans. The Frenchman lost previous championship opportunities against Ngannou and Jones before returning to the title picture. His split decision victory over Volkov also sparked controversy, with many observers believing the Russian had done enough to win.
Even UFC CEO Dana White publicly sympathized with Volkov after that fight.
“You got f——. You got f——,” White was heard telling Volkov backstage after the bout.
Despite the criticism, Gane now sits atop the heavyweight division following Aspinall’s decision to vacate the belt.
As speculation continues over the next heavyweight title fight, Pereira mocks Gane while pushing hard for a rematch. With contenders such as Alexander Volkov and Josh Hokit also in the mix, the UFC has several options to consider.
