UFC heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane teased a wrestling-based game plan when he takes on Alex Pereira next Sunday at UFC Freedom 250.
The interim UFC heavyweight title is on the line when Gane meets Pereira in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250, which takes place on June 14 at the White House in Washington, D.C. The winner of this bout is scheduled to face UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall later this year in a title unification bout.
On paper, both Gane and Pereira are strikers, so most fans believe this fight will play out on the feet. But Gane also has grappling skills in his back pocket, and he teased that he may pull them out in this fight.
Ciryl Gane May Grapple Against Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250
Speaking to Megan Olivi of Paramount+, Gane talked about how he believes this fight will play out stylistically against Pereira, teasing that he might potentially take this fight to the mat.
“I don’t want to say that it’s going to be 100% a striking matchup. This is MMA, and everybody knows I can do some wrestling, some takedowns, some stuff like that. I can finish the fight also on the ground. So I’m not 100% going to say it’s going to be a striking matchup,” Gane said.
In Gane’s MMA career, he has won three fights by submission out of his 13 victories. So while he does prefer to stand and trade, he absolutely has the potential to finish this fight by tapout if he can get Pereira to the mat. That won’t be easy to do, however, as Pereira has a 79% takedown defense, which is very solid. But if Gane can take him down, it might be an easier path to victory than standing and trading with Pereira, who is one of the most vicious KO artists in the sport.
Ciryl Gane vs. Alex Pereira Betting Odds
The latest betting odds for Gane vs. Pereira are extremely close. Pereira is a slight -115 favorite, with Gane as a tiny -105 underdog. That’s about as close to a Pick ’em as you can get, and the line could even flip by the time this fight goes down next weekend, so Gane may enter it as the favorite when it’s all said and done.
It’s a difficult fight to predict, as both Gane and Pereira are extremely talented strikers who possess the ability to finish the fight. In a striking-only battle, you might have to lean towards Pereira just because of his pure KO power, though Gane’s movement and lightness on the feet could give the Brazilian problems.
But if the Frenchman can mix things up and get this fight to the ground, he is going to be at a big advantage. Gane, after all, won his first two fights in the UFC by submission in 2019. Though he hasn’t earned a submission victory since then, it’s not like he’s forgotten how to grapple, and he may pull that part of his game out to defeat Pereira in this UFC interim heavyweight title bout in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250.
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