UFC 321: Ciryl Gane full media day interview
UFC 321 headliner Ciryl Gane spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his heavyweight title fight vs. Tom Aspinall.
ABU DHABI – Alex Pereira’s potential move to the heavyweight division doesn’t just excite the MMA fan base. Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane is also a big fan of the idea.
Gane thinks a heavyweight move for “Poatan” would be good for the division, but he can also see Pereira having a great deal of success sporting, and not just media attention-wise – contrary to what some skeptics think. Gane once welcomed former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones to the division, and he doesn’t see why Pereira can’t do something similar.
“Yes, of course, this is a beautiful idea,” Gane told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 321 media day. “Alex Pereira now is a really capable fighter. He has a beautiful story. He can do it, he can do it, and stay really dangerous. He can do it. And yeah, I’m really excited. I remember exactly the same situation with Jon Jones, talking about two champions in the heavyweight division. I’m so excited for Alex Pereira.”
Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) returns to the cage this Saturday in the main event of UFC 321 (Pay-per-view, FX/Disney+/ESPN+), which takes place at Etihad Arena. He takes on heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in a title fight scheduled for five rounds.
Pereira said he was in search of superfights at heavyweight. He didn’t exactly mention fighting for the UFC heavyweight title, but did express his interest in fighting fellow UFC star Jon Jones. Gane wouldn’t put beating Jones past Pereira, something some don’t see happening.
“Yes, of course, this is a fight. Everything is possible in a fight,” Gane said. “So yeah, one hundred percent (he has a chance).”
