Alex Pereira Ready to Leave UFC Freedom 250 Controversy Behind for Ciryl Gane Rematch

It has been nearly three months since Alex Pereira's bid to become a UFC champion in a third weight class came to a brutal halt at UFC Freedom 250. Ciryl Gane delivered a statement-making performance to score a second-round knockout in the historic White House co-main event.

The win was a huge moment for Gane, who became just the second fighter in UFC history to win two interim titles in the same division. More importantly, it put the French heavyweight in line for a highly anticipated rematch with undisputed champion Tom Aspinall.

However, much of the post-fight discussion wasn't about Gane's performance. Instead, the spotlight quickly turned to the 11 finishing shots he landed on Pereira, with seven appearing to connect to the back of the head and being deemed illegal.

Pereira has since repeatedly called out referee Herb Dean and even demanded that he be removed from officiating his future fights. So far, though, nothing has changed on that front, and it appears Pereira is ready to put the controversy behind him and focus on what comes next.

The Brazilian had previously talked about returning in November at Madison Square Garden, with the event now set as UFC 334 on November 14. "Poatan" had planned to fight the winner of the interim title fight between Gane and Aspinall, but it appears he now has someone else in mind.

And unsurprisingly, it's Gane. In a new video posted to Instagram, Pereira made it clear that he wants another crack at the Frenchman.

He said, "After much time, after resting what I needed to do, after much work, after my last fight, many people are talking with who will Alex fight? I'm seeing many opinions, but I think the fight that makes sense is Ciryl Gane."

He added, "That's the fight. I'm going to work on that and from what I'm seeing, it's something that's going to happen. How the last fight [ended], there were illegal shots. I think now, with another opportunity, I can come back and show what I can do, what I can achieve, which is the third belt. I'm very excited for that, and I'll work for that. Chama!"

Interestingly, that lines up with Gane's own stance on his next fight . The Frenchman recently said that he should face Aspinall if the champion is able to return in time, but a rematch with Pereira could also be on the table.

The biggest roadblock right now is Aspinall's health. The Englishman has been out of action for nearly 11 months after accidental eye pokes from Gane forced their first meeting at UFC 321 to end in a no-contest. Aspinall has since undergone several more tests as he continues working toward a full recovery.

If the champion isn't ready to return soon, Gane could potentially take another fight in the meantime. That could open the door for Pereira to get his rematch before the end of 2026.

And if the UFC does go that route, the second meeting between Pereira and Gane could be even bigger than the first. With more at stake, the Brazilian's pursuit of a historic third UFC title would give the rematch plenty of intrigue, and potentially make it one of the biggest heavyweight fights of the year.