Ciryl Gane defeats Alex Pereira by TKO in the second round of the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250, becoming the interim UFC heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.
The win sets up a unification bout with current champion Tom Aspinall, whom Gane previously faced at UFC 321, a fight that ended in a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke.
The bout took place at the White House. Gane landed a right hand that stunned Pereira, followed by a series of unanswered strikes, prompting referee Herb Dean to stop the fight. Pereira, a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, was making his heavyweight debut.
Gane has called for a unification fight against Aspinall in Paris in September. This would be Gane's fourth attempt at the undisputed heavyweight title.