Ciryl Gane is turning to a familiar Alex Pereira rival as he gears up for his next shot at UFC gold, bringing Artem Vakhitov into camp ahead of their interim heavyweight title clash at UFC Freedom 250.
Gane is scheduled to face Pereira in the June 14 co-main event at the White House in Washington, D.C., where the interim heavyweight belt will be on the line. Pereira, widely known by the nickname “Poatan,” moves into another high-profile spot as he meets the French heavyweight.
To get ready, Gane has enlisted Vakhitov, who owns a majority decision win over Pereira from their GLORY 78 meeting in September 2021 and has traveled to France to help him prepare. Vakhitov last fought in kickboxing at GLORY 100 in July, dropping a unanimous decision to Rico Verhoeven, and holds a 3-0 record in MMA.
Vakhitov was offered a contract after scoring a first-round finish on Dana White's Contender Series in October 2024, but he ultimately did not reach a UFC deal.
Gane enters UFC Freedom 250 after his UFC 321 title fight with Tom Aspinall ended in a no contest due to eye pokes from Gane that prevented Aspinall from continuing. If Gane defeats Pereira on June 14, it will set up a unification bout rematch with Aspinall, likely in late 2026.
