Alex Pereira Dismisses Ciryl Gane as UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Champion After Tom Aspinall Vacates Title

Alex Pereira is not buying Ciryl Gane’s claim to the UFC heavyweight throne. Not even a little. With Tom Aspinall vacating the undisputed title, ‘Bon Gamin’ is now in line to be elevated from interim champion. But Pereira? He’s already making it clear that, in his eyes, that belt comes with a pretty big asterisk.

In fact, ‘Poatan’ even took to Instagram to mock the idea, sharing an AI-generated poster that highlighted several controversial moments from the Frenchman’s career.

“Lost to Francis [Ngannou], Lost to [Jon] Jones, [Alexander] Volkov was daylight robbery, 10 illegal headshots to Poatan. Now heavyweight champion” the graphic read.

To make sure there was no ambiguity left about his own feelings, he even added a little caption.

“Champion ” he wrote.

UFC Freedom 250 WASHINGTON, DC – June 14, 2026 : Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane meet in the octagon for a 3-round bout at UFC Freedom 250 at The White House South Lawn on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by Louis Grasse/PXImages WASHINGTON, DC The White House South Lawn DC USA Copyright: xLouisxGrassex

The post comes just months after Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane shared the Octagon in an interim heavyweight title fight at UFC Freedom 250 in June. The Frenchman got his hand raised after a second-round stoppage, but the win was anything but clean in Pereira’s eyes.

According to the Brazilian, ‘Bon Gamin’ landed multiple shots to the back of his head, and the controversy has followed the result ever since.

‘Poatan’ has been pushing for a rematch ever since, initially hoping to get another shot at Ciryl Gane after the winner of the planned heavyweight title unification bout between Gane and Tom Aspinall. But the Briton’s latest injury setback changed everything.

With the champion vacating the belt, Gane is now in line to potentially become the undisputed champion, and the former two-division champion clearly isn’t thrilled about it.

Tom Aspinall was expected to make his return at UFC 334 on November 14, but complications from the eye injury he suffered against Gane at UFC 321 have pushed his recovery timeline back. With the Englishman now out of the immediate title picture, a rematch between Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira could suddenly be back on the table.

‘Poatan’ has previously expressed interest in competing at the November event at the MSG, and a second fight with the Frenchman would certainly give him a chance to settle the score. But his latest post suggests he’d rather see ‘Bon Gamin’ earn the undisputed title than simply inherit it.

The Brazilian’s aforementioned post took aim at several controversial moments from Ciryl Gane’s career, referencing his decision loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 270, his first-round submission defeat to Jon Jones at UFC 285, and his controversial decision win over Alexander Volkov at UFC 310.

The Volkov fight was probably the easiest one for ‘Poatan’ to throw into the mix. After all, several observers, including UFC CEO Dana White, believed Volkov deserved the decision, making it another controversial chapter in Gane’s career as two judges scored it 29-28 in his favor, while another scored it 29-28 for ‘Drago.’

In a video that went viral after the fight, the head honcho can be seen approaching the 36-year-old in the immediate aftermath of his fight, and he surely did not mince words.

“You got f—–,” the UFC CEO told Volkov. “You got f—–. I don’t know what we’ll do, but we’ll try and make it right. You understand what I’m saying?”

“Tell him, he got f——. (He told the translator.) I don’t know what we’ll do, but we’ll try and make it right… I have no idea. The whole f—— arena thought you won the fight… They f—– that one up bad. I’ll talk to you in a little while; I apologize.”

Alex Pereira didn’t leave himself out of the graphic, either. His own loss to Ciryl Gane was included, with the Brazilian clearly pointing back to the controversy surrounding the shots to the back of his head.

The Brazilian recently added more fuel to the speculation surrounding his next fight after sharing a picture with UFC executive Hunter Campbell. Alex Pereira was all smiles in the photo, and fans were quick to wonder whether he had already locked in his next booking.

However, not everyone saw the photo as a reason to celebrate. Another heavyweight contender jumped into the conversation, suggesting that Alex Pereira could be getting a big-money fight while still missing out on the title opportunity he’s been chasing.

Josh Hokit takes a jab at Alex Pereira’s potential title fight

Josh Hokit couldn’t resist taking a cheeky jab at Alex Pereira following the Brazilian’s meeting with UFC executive Hunter Campbell. The aforementioned photo was later shared by Lucky MMA on X, and Hokit’s response suggested ‘Poatan’ might be getting a massive payday without getting the title shot he wants.

“That’s the ‘You aren’t fighting for the title, but you are still getting 10 million’ smile,” he wrote.

The 28-year-old’s comment was a pretty clear hint that he doesn’t expect Alex Pereira to get the next title shot against Ciryl Gane. After all, ‘The Incredible Hok’ has already picked up three wins this year and has been making the case that his activity and recent performances should put him in the championship conversation.

It is also worth noting that the undefeated heavyweight contender previously took to X to compare his record with Pereira’s, arguing that the numbers speak for themselves.

“Judge us based on our last 3 performances,” he tweeted. “No comparison. One guy has had the @ufc marketing machine behind him for the last 5 yrs; the other is so much better than everyone else that I troll & win, while still making a Curtis Blaydes fight exciting.

“Alex is 1-2…I’m 3-0. Easy decision.”

Josh Hokit has also promised to become the “most active champ in the company,” making it clear that he wants to keep fighting regularly while chasing the heavyweight title.

So, it’s clear that Alex Pereira isn’t the only contender waiting in the wings. Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich are also potential options for Ciryl Gane, while Hokit’s recent run has given the UFC another name to consider in the title picture.

For now, the Frenchman’s promotion to undisputed champion has yet to be officially confirmed. But if it does happen, Alex Pereira’s latest Instagram post makes one thing pretty clear: ‘Poatan’ won’t exactly be rolling out the red carpet.

The post Alex Pereira Dismisses Ciryl Gane as UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Champion After Tom Aspinall Vacates Title appeared first on EssentiallySports.