Israel Adesanya had plenty to say after Alex Pereira’s heavyweight bid was halted by Ciryl Gane in the UFC Freedom 250 main event on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C.
Pereira was attempting to become a three-division UFC champion, but Gane stopped him in the second round to claim the interim heavyweight title in Sunday’s headliner, which aired live on Paramount+.
Sharing his reaction to the result, Adesanya said of Gane, "Ciryl is no slouch, but f—k," before turning his focus to his longtime rival. "Dare to be great, [Pereira] is a one-of-one. He’s a great. You can’t fault him."
Adesanya, who fought in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250, previously moved up to light heavyweight in 2021 and lost a unanimous decision to Jan Blachowicz in his own attempt to become a two-division champion.
Pereira entered UFC Freedom 250 as a former two-division UFC champion. He and Adesanya have a long history across kickboxing and MMA, including Adesanya knocking out Pereira at UFC 287 to reclaim the middleweight title.
