On June 14, Alex Pereira will take the biggest leap of his career. At the marquee UFC Freedom 250 event, ‘Poatan’ will face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title and chase three-division glory. Ahead of the clash, fans have been backing the Brazilian powerhouse to create history, as they’re keeping Pereira at a -120 favorite to beat Gane. However, Francis Ngannou believes otherwise.

According to the former UFC and PFL heavyweight champion, the Brazilian has enough size to compete at heavyweight, but the Frenchman’s agility on the feet and distance management will create a “frustrating” difference when they face off at UFC White House.

“Well, look. It’s gonna be an interesting fight, though. Alex Pereira is tough, he’s big enough, he’s a heavyweight,” Ngannou told TMZ. “But in this scenario, the position shifts a little bit. Because Ciryl Gane here looks more like someone with a lighter strategy, as he moves a lot and he’s fast. And I think Alex Pereira would be more stiff, stable, and strong.

Ciryl would be moving around more; that’s his technique. He’s good at that. And that’s gonna be very tough for Alex Pereira to get close enough to figure out what he can do. Ciryl would be managing pretty well to keep the distance, pick him apart, and get him frustrated. He’s good at that. So, I think it’s a very good matchup for Ciryl Gane,” he added.

Well, Francis Ngannou pointed out a definitive advantage on ‘Bon Gamin’s side. If you compare both fighters’ reach, Gane has a clear 2-inch advantage, with an 81-inch reach, while Pereira has 79 inches of reach. But it’s not that the former interim champion cannot use distance to his advantage. In his UFC 321 bout against Tom Aspinall, Gane pieced up the Brit using his distance management to win the first round, until the eye poke ruined everything.

Moreover, ‘The Predator’ also has first-hand experience fighting Gane, and he knows how difficult it was. To cancel out the Frenchman’s striking, Ngannou had to predominantly use his wrestling at UFC 270 to defeat Gane by unanimous decision. That said, the Cameroonian isn’t the only one who believes ‘Bon Gamin’ would be a tough challenge for ‘Poatan’.

Former two-division champ Henry Cejudo believes Pereira might not even beat Gane because of the Frenchman’s stick-and-move game plan. Now, as the former 265 lbs interim champ is getting some solid backing, it’s worth noting that Pereira has faced distance-based fighters like Israel Adesanya and beaten them, which makes the bout against Gane all the more interesting. 

However, the former two-time light heavyweight champion is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to preparation for his next fight.   

Alex Pereira matches Ciryl Gane’s weight for last fight  

Ahead of the White House showdown, fans and experts are noticing that Ciryl Gane’s distance management could play a decisive factor against Alex Pereira. But it seems ‘Poatan’ is making sure that he won’t lack power when he meets ‘Bon Gamin’ inside the Octagon on June 14.

Taking to social media, Pereira uploaded a photo of himself weighing 247 lbs, which is a pretty healthy number for a heavyweight showdown. He also looked decently lean, while captioning the post in his signature style, “247 pounds. Chama.” For those who don’t know, Gane also weighed 247.5 lbs for his fight against Tom Aspinall at UFC 321.

Though the Manchester native weighed 255 lbs, the speed difference between him and Gane was noticeable when they collided in Abu Dhabi last year. So in that case, Pereira shouldn’t have a size disadvantage, unless the Frenchman comes in 3 to 4 pounds heavier than his last outing.

That said, as Pereira and Gane are ready to put on a show for the audience, who do you think will win the UFC Freedom 250 heavyweight clash? Let us know in the comments section below.