Alex Pereira Chases 3rd UFC Title vs Ciryl Gane as Dana White Puts GOAT Stakes on June 14
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Jun 5
Alex Pereira Chases 3rd UFC Title vs Ciryl Gane as Dana White Puts GOAT Stakes on June 14
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jun 5
Summary
June 14 will put Alex Pereira in an interim heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, giving the Brazilian a chance to become the first three-division champion in UFC history.
Dana White told Forbes that a Pereira win would move him past Jon Jones as the sport's greatest fighter, a notable shift because White has long called Jones the GOAT.
Pereira enters at 13-3 after already winning UFC belts at middleweight and light heavyweight; he vacated the 205-pound title earlier this year to pursue a heavyweight move.
Jones, 28-1 with a UFC-record 16 title-fight wins, retired in 2025 but immediately said he would return for a Pereira matchup, keeping that superfight in play.
The interim winner is also positioned to face undisputed champion Tom Aspinall, though Aspinall is recovering from multiple eye injuries and his camp wants to renegotiate his UFC contract.