Alex Pereira is moving to heavyweight and will attempt to become the first UFC fighter to win titles in three weight classes, although with a caveat.
After starting his octagon tenure at middleweight and claiming gold, then moving to light heavyweight and twice capturing the belt, Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has finally pulled the trigger on another leap in division and will fight Ciryl Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for the interim heavyweight strap in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14.
The UFC announced the bout during UFC 326 on Saturday, and UFC CEO Dana White said the winner will then be in line to fight champion Tom Aspinall, who currently is recovering from the serious eye injury sustained in his October defense vs. Gane at UFC 321, which ended in a no contest after multiple illegal pokes rendered him unable to continue.
Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has not been able to commit to absolute certainty that he will ever be able to fight again. The interim title indicates the promotion has a degree of faith in his ability to recover and return to the octagon for a unification bout with the Pereira vs. Gane winner.
Pereira, 38, will look to etch his name further into the championship record books at UFC 328. “Poatan” has made a speed-run of his UFC career since debuting in November 2021, fighting a dozen times and with seven of his past eight being title bouts. His 2024 run was historic, and after stumbling to start 2025 with a title loss to Magomed Ankalaev, he regained the belt with an 80-second TKO finish at UFC 320 in October.
The Brazilian is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to have won belts in multiple weight classes, and no one in that group has had the chance to bid for a third strap. The validity of his pursuit, however, will be questioned due to Aspinall’s existence and the interim title label.
Gane, 35, meanwhile, will have his chance to play spoiler and join Justin Gaethje at the only two-time interim titleholders in UFC history. The Frenchman received credit for his performance as a sizeable underdog vs. Aspinall prior to the fight-ending eye pokes, and despite the controversial finish, he gets a fifth career booking for some version of a UFC belt.
Full UFC Freedom 250 lineup includes:
- Champion Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje – for lightweight title
- Ciryl Gane vs. Alex Pereira – for interim heavyweight title
- Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi
- Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy
- Kyle Daukaus vs. Bo Nickal
- Steve Garcia vs. Diego Lopes
