Alex Pereira was ‘big’ at middleweight and light-heavyweight, but now he’s ‘huge.’ Will his size be his undoing at the 265 lbs weight class?

Ciryl Gane‘s camp for the Freedom 250 co-main event interim title fight with Alex Pereira is clearly centered on one idea: defeat the striker at his own game. That much became clear when footage emerged of ‘Bon Gamin’ sparring with Artem Vakhitov, the last guy to defeat the Brazilian in kickboxing.

It’s an intriguing wrinkle ahead of June 14, especially given Vakhitov understands better than most what it takes to keep ‘Poatan’ on his feet. And now, he has issued a warning.

According to Vakhitov, Alex Pereira’s recent physique indicates that he accumulated too much size too quickly in preparation for heavyweight. The logic is simple: more mass surely helps with wrestling, clinch work, and dealing with larger men. However, such an adjustment could come at a steep cost in the one area where ‘Poatan’ is most dangerous.

“You can see by his current shape he gained extra weight,” Artem Vakhitov told Emiel Sardarean. “It won’t play in his favor when it comes to striking.

“Ciryl is a natural heavyweight, and Alex now weighs almost as much as him. It will play against him.”

That’s where his point becomes intriguing. Ciryl Gane has spent years moving at that size (248 lbs approx.), carrying his weight fluidly, and striking with speed as he perfectly showed against Tom Aspinall.

Alex Pereira, on the other hand, is still adjusting to that frame. And if he is now closer to Gane’s weight, Artem Vakhitov believes the tradeoff could be slower reactions, less agility, and a striking rhythm that no longer feels like the Alex Pereira opponents are used to fighting.

Coming from most people, that might sound like guesswork. It lands differently when it comes from the last man to beat Alex Pereira in kickboxing, and who is currently assisting ‘Bon Gamin’ with his preparation. Artem Vakhitov understands Pereira’s timing, reads, habits, and routines to a greater extent than most others. But there’s one thing he seems to be missing out on.

The last time Alex Pereira fought was at UFC 320, in his light heavyweight title rematch against Magomed Ankalaev. On fight night, he weighed a staggering 234.2 lbs. That’s a 28 lbs weight jump overnight from the 205 lbs weigh-in mark.

So, Pereira walks around as a heavyweight. It was the weight cut, if anything, that drained him at 205 lbs and at 185 lbs. Now, here comes the catch.

For his heavyweight debut, Pereira has gained some muscle mass. He shocked fans, weighing in at 251 lbs a few weeks ago. ‘Poatan’, for all intents and purposes, looked fat, and fans were quick to point it out. But the Brazilian put any worries to rest with his statement that followed.

“I’m heavy and have a bit of a belly right now. But soon, you’ll see the transformation… I’m gonna look like a machine. Now, my body is getting stronger. We still have another 6 or 7 weeks, we’re already starting like this,” he said on YouTube.

The weight gain won’t just help him be prepared for grappling and wrestling exchanges; it will also greatly improve his endurance to withstand Ciryl Gane‘s heavy blows to the head. Between the two, Pereira has the better one-shot KO power; the question is if it can translate to the heaviest weight class, as it did from middleweight to light-heavyweight.

Both fighters have strong kickboxing, and you can expect them to go after each other’s legs right from the starting bell. It will be more crucial to Pereira’s game plan, since Gane’s fluid movement keeps him a moving target, making the killshot elusive.

So, while the weight gain may not be as disadvantageous as you think it might be, there are still names that beg to differ. It isn’t just Vakhitov who believes in this theory, as another GLORY champion believes Alex Pereira surely isn’t the better striker walking into this fight.

Donovan Wisse believes Ciryl Gane is taking the right steps to prepare for Alex Pereira

As Alex Pereira adjusts to heavyweight bulk, ‘Bon Gamin’ is busy honing the specific skills required for a striking battle. From working with GLORY heavyweight champion Mory Kromah to now sparring Artem Vakhitov, the Frenchman is clearly preparing with elite-level striking in mind.

That approach has earned praise from another decorated striker, Donovan Wisse. The reigning GLORY middleweight champion believes Ciryl Gane is doing precisely what he should be doing: prepping for Alex Pereira’s pressure, cage-cutting, and the explosive moments where ‘Poatan’ typically closes the show.

“It’s a big step because Ciryl Gane is not an easy fight for the title,” Wisse told Bloody Elbow. “He moves a lot; he’s a good kickboxer… I think it’s going to be a great fight because I think Alex is going to lock him up against the cage and then explode.

“But we’ll see how Ciryl Gane is going to move because he’s sparring now with Mory Kromah and a lot of kickboxers right now, so it’s going to be an exciting matchup.”

Alex Pereira’s power is the obvious threat, but Ciryl Gane’s footwork and ability to stay fluid at heavyweight have always been his strongest assets. If he can maintain that mobility while matching Pereira’s reads on the feet, the underdog moniker may not carry much weight once the cage door closes.