PEREIRA AIMS FOR HISTORIC THIRD UFC TITLE IN HEAVYWEIGHT DEBUT

Alex Pereira has moved to heavyweight for his UFC debut, weighing 251lb ahead of an interim title bout against Ciryl Gane on Sunday. The Brazilian fighter, previously a light-heavyweight and middleweight champion, will compete for the heavyweight belt at a White House event. Gane weighed 248lb for the bout. The interim title fight takes place in the absence of heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who is recovering from an eye injury sustained in October.

Pereira is attempting to become the first fighter in UFC history to win titles across three different divisions. He became the fastest two-division champion in 2023 after just seven fights, winning his middleweight belt against Israel Adesanya in 2022 before claiming the light-heavyweight title twice. The 38-year-old has weighed 66.4lb more for this heavyweight bout than when he defeated Adesanya, demonstrating a significant physical transformation. Pereira has recorded eight knockouts in his twelve UFC fights since his 2021 debut.

Should Pereira defeat Gane, both UFC president Dana White and lightweight champion Ilia Topuria have suggested he could be regarded as the greatest fighter of all time. Pereira stated he has visualised winning a third title since the bout was announced in March. He described the opportunity as "unprecedented and something that's never been done before." Gane has competed exclusively at heavyweight throughout his career, bringing significant experience at the division.