Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos already has his predictions for Ciryl Gane’s fight against Alex Pereira. Dos Santos shared his view during a recent conversation with Ariel Helwani. The match will mark Pereira’s heavyweight debut, and is already drawing widespread attention from the promotion’s South American followership.
Dos Santos’ prediction targets the UFC Freedom 250’s co-main event, held on June 14. On the main card are Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, who clash in a mouthwatering lightweight title unification. The historic fight is part of the sport’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. While other bouts might prove challenging for Dos Santos’ crystal ball, he thinks Gane’s show has only one outcome.
What Junior dos Santos thinks about UFC White House’s co-main event
Pereira vacated his light heavyweight belt to pursue interim heavyweight gold against Gane. He’ll become the first three-division UFC champion if he wins the fight. The Brazilian UFC icon enters the match at 13-3 with 10 knockouts, fresh after a first-round stoppage of Magomed Ankalev. Gane brings a 13-2 record and one no-contest into the tie, having six knockouts to his name. Amidst the nuances of an UFC record, Dos Santos thinks the game will boil down to superiority in style.
“I think he’s gonna do very well actually – especially in this debut against Gane. I think it’s a great fight for him because of his style. At some point, he’s gonna knock Gane out in his heavyweight debut.”
Pereira began his UFC career in the middleweight class, winning gold there before claiming the light heavyweight title twice. He has since moved up the weight-class and is set to face Gane, who already holds an interim title. Gane’s speed and skill are some of his biggest traits. However, Dos Santos thinks the artist lacks the requisite one-punch power to defeat Alex Pereira. On the flip side, Dos Santos believes Pereira’s constant forward-press and heavy shots could prove devastating for any foe.
Elsewhere at Freedom 250, Sean O’Malley faces Aiemann Zahabi at bantamweight. Michael Chandler will face Mauricio Ruffy at lightweight, while featherweight Diego Lopes slugs it out against Steve Garcia. The middleweight tie has Bo Nickal going up against Kyle Daukaus to round up one of the year’s biggest UFC shows.