Alex Pereira laughs at Ciryl Gane’s promotion to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion

Alex Pereira has taken to social media to express his dismissal of Ciryl Gane's new status as undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. Gane was elevated from interim champion to undisputed titleholder this week after Tom Aspinall officially vacated the belt due to injury. Aspinall sustained eye damage during his October matchup with Gane at UFC 321, when an accidental eye-poke rendered him unable to continue, resulting in a no-contest ruling. With Aspinall sidelined, Gane claimed the interim title by knocking out Pereira at UFC White House.

On Wednesday, Pereira responded to Gane's promotion by posting on Instagram a graphic highlighting Gane's previous title-fight losses to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, as well as a controversial victory over Alexander Volkov. Pereira captioned the post with the word "Champion" followed by three laughing emojis, making his skepticism of Gane's legitimacy clear. The Brazilian fighter has long disputed his loss to Gane, repeatedly alleging that illegal strikes to the back of the head influenced the outcome.

Gane's unexpected path to the undisputed title has left the heavyweight division in flux. With no clear challenger designated, multiple contenders including Pereira, Volkov, and undefeated prospect Josh Hokit are positioning themselves for a title shot. How the UFC will structure the division and determine Gane's first challenger remains to be seen, but Pereira's public mockery suggests a rematch between the two remains a possibility—one that carries considerable storyline weight given their disputed history.