Jorge Masvidal picks Alex Pereira to beat Ciryl Gane but not with ease.
Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) meets Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14 (Paramount+).
Former interim champ Gane is known to be one of the fastest and most versatile strikers at heavyweight, and Masvidal thinks Pereira will feel it early. However, Masvidal predicts that “Poatan” will ultimately get the stoppage win.
“I think he has a tough time the first two rounds,” Masvidal said of Pereira on UFC on Paramount+. “I think he ends up getting like a late stoppage. I think Gane’s footwork, those first two rounds are going to be very, very hard to get by that defense. He keeps the range, and he keeps you at arm’s length just as he’s moving away.”
Pereira is a slight favorite over Gane, with some bettors having the odds at dead even. Dustin Poirier thinks Gane needs to mix things up to find success against Pereira.
“He is huge,” Poirier said of Pereira. “I think he wins this fight. I think he beats Gane. Will Gane try to wrestle, or try to make it ugly and clinch? Put him against the fence? I think that’s what he needs to do.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jorge Masvidal: Alex Pereira stops Ciryl Gane late at UFC Freedom 250