It’s been nearly five years since Ciryl Gane won the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title at UFC 265 in August 2021, defeating Derrick Lewis by TKO. The 36 year old from La Roche-sur-Yon, France, will try to repeat that feat on Sunday when he faces former two-division UFC titleholder Alex Pereira in the co-main event at UFC 250 being held on the White House South Lawn in Washington.
The 38-year-old Pereira, from São Paulo, Brazil, is seeking to make history as the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in three different weight classes: middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.
Gane (13-2) last competed in October when he challenged UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a match that ended in a no-contest in the first round. Pereira (13-3) also fought in October, when he regained the light heavyweight title by TKO, avenging his March 2025 loss to Magomed Ankalaev.
The highly anticipated UFC 250 card is the subject of controversy. A lawsuit was filed in federal court on Saturday by the watchdog group, Public Integrity Project, on behalf of two Virginia residents, requesting a judge to halt the event. They claim the Department of the Interior and National Park Service violated federal law by attempting to stage a private sporting function on public property and by bypassing congressional approval for construction to erect structures including the ring and a 600-ton steel arch on federal land.
As of AmNews press time, it appeared UFC 250 would still take place with the aforementioned Lewis, who was defeated by Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324 this past January, scheduled to face Josh Hokit.
On the boxing front, WBA bantamweight champ Antonio Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KOs) will defend his title against undefeated rising star Jesse Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs) — moving from super flyweight — Saturday at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
“This has honestly been the best camp I’ve ever had,” Vargas said last week when he spoke to the media after training. “Every day I’ve been pushing myself beyond my limits as I know what is on the line. When you’re preparing to face a fighter like ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, you can’t leave anything to chance.”
“New weight class, same goals — dominate and pick up all the belts,” Rodriguez said in April when the fight was announced. “On June 13, I look forward to becoming a three-division world champion.”
