Alex Pereira trolls Ciryl Gane with ‘champion’ jab following Tom Aspinall exit

Alex Pereira has taken to social media to mock Ciryl Gane's credentials as the UFC heavyweight champion following Tom Aspinall's recent title vacation due to ongoing medical issues.

Gane is expected to be elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion status after Aspinall withdrew from their planned title unification bout. Gane had won the interim belt at UFC Freedom 250 by finishing Pereira, but those two will not meet for the vacant strap as originally anticipated.

Pereira shared an Instagram post featuring a graphic that questioned Gane's UFC record, captioning it simply "Champion" with three laughing emojis. The graphic highlighted Gane's previous heavyweight title losses to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, his controversial split-decision win over Alexander Volkov in their rematch (which many observers believed Volkov had won), and Pereira's own loss to Gane—a fight Pereira claims included multiple illegal strikes to the back of the head.

Meanwhile, emerging contender Josh Hokit has been linked as Gane's next challenger, effectively shutting down any near-term title shot for Pereira. When Hokit saw a photo of Pereira smiling alongside UFC executive Hunter Campbell, he wrote on X: "That's the 'You aren't fighting for the title but you are still getting 10 million' smile," suggesting Pereira has secured a lucrative deal outside the title picture.