Gane Beats Pereira via TKO, Stats, Prize Money & Highlights from UFC White House Freedom 250

Ciryl Gane denied Alex Pereira's bid to become a three-division UFC champion with a second-round TKO win at UFC Freedom 250 to become the interim heavyweight champion.

The first round was marked by the tension of Pereira's one-punch power and Gane's size. Pereira seemed to take the round to measure the distance he needed to close while Gane picked at his opponent with leg kicks and jabs. 

Pereira did have a clean punch land at the end of the round that ended up being his only highlight:

Gane was the one who built on his first-round success, though. He unleashed brutal combinations and dominated the second frame. 

Referee Herb Dean gave Poatan every chance to keep the fight alive, but Gane eventually drew the stoppage and stunned the crowd. 

Gane once again finds himself incredibly close to becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion. He has come up short three times in his bid to become undisputed.

This will be his second run with the interim belt. He defeated Derrick Lewis for the honor August 2021, but was beaten by Francis Ngannou in the championship fight that followed.

A knockout win over Tai Tuivasa set up a fight for the vacant heavyweight strap against Jon Jones, but Bones won via first-round submission.

Gane once again climbed the ladder and earned a shot at Tom Aspinall for the title. Unfortunately an eye poke left Aspinall unable to finish the fight and it was declared a No Contest.

Aspinall has yet to return as he recovers from multiple eye injuries. However, the mission hasn't changed for Gane. He's still chasing that elusive title.

"I'm on a mission to win the undisputed belt. I'm gonna win this fight against Pereira. And I'm gonna go have my revenge against Tom Aspinall and [claim] my undisputed title," he told reporters ahead of the fight.

Gane has proven himself as a high-level fighter, but the opportunity to beat a big-name opponent on a high-profile card was huge. After coming up short against Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, he needed to show he could beat a star-level fighter.

Of course, one of the biggest questions that now emerges is what Pereira plans on doing. The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion could go back down to 205.

However, he's 38 years old and has already accomplished a lot. This still might not be the last time we see him try to capture a title in a third weight class.

Daniel Cormier previously revealed (via Josh Peter of USA Today) that Pereira was slated to make $10 million for the fight.