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Share on FacebookFormer two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira is pushing for a second shot at interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, aiming to return to the Octagon before the end of 2026.
The two elite strikers first clashed in June during a special UFC event at the White House. Gane won the fight by stoppage to claim the interim heavyweight belt, shattering Pereira's dreams of becoming the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in three different weight classes. After the loss, Pereira spent months publicly blaming referee Herb Dean for failing to stop what he claimed were illegal punches to the back of his head. Now, the Brazilian star says he is moving past the drama and focusing entirely on a rematch, hinting on social media that the fight is already in the works.
Whether the UFC books the rematch depends entirely on the division's undisputed champion, Tom Aspinall. Aspinall has been out of action for nearly a year recovering from multiple eye surgeries following an accidental eye poke in his own previous fight against Gane. While the UFC's original plan was to have Gane and Aspinall fight to unify the heavyweight titles, Aspinall is still not healthy enough to compete. Rather than keeping the interim champion sidelined, the promotion may choose to book Gane against Pereira in a massive late-year event.
