Ciryl Gane hints that Alex Pereira fight at UFC Freedom 250 may not be a pure striking showdown

Ciryl Gane appears to be willing to showcase a different side of his MMA arsenal than what fight fans usually get to witness. The French fighter is known for his elusive striking skills and penchant for keeping the fight on the feet rather than on the mat. 

"Bon Gamin," who's a former interim UFC heavyweight champion, is on the cusp of capturing another interim UFC heavyweight title belt. Gane is scheduled to take on former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight titlist Alex Pereira next. 

Their highly anticipated fight would have the interim UFC heavyweight championship up for grabs and would serve as the co-headlining match of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14. 

Ciryl Gane teases potential use of grappling, says Alex Pereira fight likely won't be pure striking matchup

During a recent conversation with UFC on-screen personality and correspondent, Megan Olivi, Ciryl Gane addressed his upcoming title fight. 

A key point of discussion regarding the variables of the Pereira vs. Gane fight is the Brazilian combat sports megastar's extraordinary accomplishments as a striking specialist. 

While Gane himself has kickboxing and Muay Thai experience, Pereira is beheld as an all-time great in the sport of kickboxing. "Poatan" is a former Glory Kickboxing middleweight and light heavyweight champion.

In regard to their grappling, it's noteworthy that Gane boasts three MMA victories via submission, whereas Pereira has none by way of submission. 

On that note, Olivi indicated that there's considerable talk about both Gane's and Pereira's respective striking styles. She asked about how their fight could play out if it ends up being contested mainly as a kickboxing battle. 

"Bon Gamin" responded by suggesting that he's more than capable of utilizing his grappling in their fight. Hinting that it's unlikely to be the pure striking match that some fans expect it to be, Gane stated: 

"I don't want to say like it's gonna be 100 percent a striking matchup. Like, this is MMA. And everybody know I can do also some wrestling, some takedowns, some stuff like that. I can finish the fight also on the ground. So I'm not going to say 100 percent it's going to be a striking matchup." 

 

Watch Ciryl Gane discuss the striking elements and more of his match against Alex Pereira below (*comments at the 1:34-minute mark of the video): 

The Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane fight's winner could fight striking and grappling maestro Tom Aspinall

The U.K.'s Tom Aspinall has earned widespread laudation from a number of fans and experts, who've time and again deemed him one of the most well-rounded MMA fighters of all time. 

Aspinall happens to be the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, whose most recent octagon appearance saw him fighting Ciryl Gane to an NC (No Contest) in October of last year. France's Gane landed eye pokes to both of the Englishman's eyes, rendering him unable to fight and causing the NC. 

Well, Aspinall is still recovering from his eye injuries. Moreover, the consensus is that the Pereira vs. Gane matchup's victor would go on to fight Aspinall, a striking and grappling savant, in a title unification fight.