Alex Pereira had zero regrets after tasting canvas in his UFC heavyweight debut.
Pereira (13-4-0) got knocked out by Ciryl Gane (14-2-0) in the penultimate fight on UFC Freedom 250’s main card held Sunday on the White House’s South Lawn in Washington, D.C. The man they call “Poatan” got rocked by a solid jab early in the second round, and Gane pounced on him with several elbows to the head before Pereira could get back on his feet.
The fact that Pereira was able to get up at all was an astonishing show of determination from the Brazilian. But it didn’t take long before the French behemoth’s barrage of blows proved too much. Referee Herb Dean eventually stopped the fight after a wobbly-legged Pereira took a vicious blow without defending himself.
💥 Ciryl Gane dropped Alex Pereira with a JAB
— Full Mount MMA (@MMAFullMount) June 15, 2026
And then proceeded to rock him 5 times.#UFCWhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/weIaDeOhwJ
After the match, Joe Rogan asked Pereira if he had any regrets about trying to move up to heavyweight.
“This was the risk, you know,” Pereira said via a translator.
“If I hadn’t taken a risk every time I fought, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Pereira entered Sunday’s bout looking to become the first three-division champion in UFC history. The former middleweight and light heavyweight belt holder remained noncommittal about whether he would continue to fight at heavyweight or return to the light heavyweight division, where he is a two-time champion.
It wasn’t all bad for Brazilian fight fans at UFC Freedom 250. While Pereira lost, his countrymen and fellow main card fighters Diego Lopes and Mauricio Ruffy both won their matches. Lopes even had the coldest photo of the entire event after knocking out American Steve Garcia.
