Pereira targets rematch with Gane for next UFC fight
By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Nearly three months have passed, and the devastating loss still haunts Alex Pereira.
By hook or by crook, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division world champion is seeking a rematch with interim heavyweight king Ciryl Gane, as he announced on Sept. 9, 2026.
In a video uploaded to his official Instagram account, Pereira publicly addressed his desire to fight Gane again and redeem himself after a technical knockout loss during the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 in June.
“After much time of resting, people are talking about who Alex will fight next,” Pereira said in the video.
“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.”
Pereira was slightly favored to win the matchup in his quest to become a UFC three-division world champion, but Gane pulled off the upset as he ended Pereira’s dream in just two rounds.
Gane handed Pereira one of his worst UFC losses, scoring a decisive second-round TKO with a barrage of strikes, finished by a vicious left hook.
The opening round saw both fighters gauge their desired distance as Pereira fought safely, throwing mostly leg kicks, while Gane relied on his snappy jabs from a southpaw stance.
All hell broke loose in the following round when Gane finally cracked Pereira’s high guard with well-executed in-and-out movement.
After momentarily disengaging, Gane caught Pereira off guard with quick step-through footwork and tagged him with a devastating jab.
The French star then pounced on Pereira, unleashing a brutal ground-and-pound sequence before finishing the fight with another flurry of strikes.
A day after the fight, Pereira accused Gane of landing illegal blows, claiming that he was hit several times in the illegal area at the back of the head.
Pereira also criticized Herb Dean, the referee of the fight, questioning why the veteran UFC official didn’t intervene or warn Gane.
“The guy sees it’s an illegal hit,” Pereira added.
“He shouldn’t have been refereeing that fight. To be honest, a guy like that should be punished. The ref was there watching.”
Time to arrange the bout, Mr. Dana White. This bad blood won’t end until Pereira and Gane meet again in the center of the Octagon.
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