Alexander Volkanovski has weighed in on the high-stakes interim heavyweight title clash between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane set for UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House.
Pereira, 13-3 in MMA and 10-2 in the UFC, is scheduled to face Gane, who holds a 13-2 MMA record and is also 10-2 in the UFC, in the co-main event. The bout will see Pereira attempt to claim a UFC title in a third weight division.
Volkanovski, the UFC featherweight champion, shared his analysis and prediction for the matchup on his YouTube channel. "This is a tough fight. This is a lot tougher than people think," he said.
"It's striker vs. striker, and if you say that, people are going to think it favors Pereira so much. Gane is an incredible striker. I could definitely see Gane jabbing and inside kicking or outside kicking, just landing enough on the outside – when he is in danger, framing enough, being safe enough to not get hit with big shots, getting himself back out again."
Volkanovski outlined paths to victory for both heavyweights before ultimately leaning one way. "I'm 50-50 on this. I really am," he admitted, before adding, "But I'm just going to say Pereira because I think something big is going to happen, and that something big is Pereira, triple champ, KO'ing Gane."
