Francis
Ngannou believes his former foe Ciryl Gane
is not a suitable matchup for Alex
Pereira.
Pereira (13-3) is set to face Gane (13-2) for the interim
heavyweight title at
UFC White House on June 14. Pereira will look to create history
by winning a UFC title in a third weight category. However, many,
including Ngannou, consider Gane to be Pereira’s toughest test so
far.
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It will be a big move up for Pereira, who started his
UFC career as a middleweight. Ngannou believes Gane is more
well-round that Pereira. Gane is known for being unusually slick at
heavyweight. Ngannou believes Pereira will find it difficult after
moving up from light heavyweight to face a heavyweight striker who
is faster than most light heavyweights.
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“I think Ciryl has more tools here,” Ngannou told Helen Yee. “Alex Pereira has his own
style, Ciryl Gane has his own style. For me, it’s not a good
matchup for Alex Pereira in terms of style. Basically, if he’s
moving up to the division and has to face a heavyweight that is
even lighter than a light heavyweight on his feet.”
Ngannou (18-3) defended his heavyweight title against former
teammate Gane in his last UFC outing at UFC 270 in 2022. While
Ngannou is known for his knockout power, “The Predator” surprised
fans by using cage wrestling to control Gane and earn a unanimous
decision win. Ngannou is now scheduled to fight Philipe
Lins on
MVP’s first MMA card in collaboration with Netflix on May
16.