Israel Adesanya backs longtime rival against Ciryl Gane

Israel Adesanya voiced support for former rival Alex Pereira to defeat Ciryl Gane in an interim UFC heavyweight title bout scheduled for June 14 at Freedom Fights 250 at the White House, a notable stance given their shared history. Speaking on YouTube, Adesanya said Gane has elite movement but believes Pereira can knock him out. The interim UFC heavyweight title matchup pits Pereira (13-3) against Ciryl Gane (13-2).Pereira and Adesanya split high-profile MMA meetings after Pereira beat him twice in Glory Kickboxing. Adesanya later lost the middleweight belt, while Pereira won light heavyweight gold, briefly lost to Magomed Ankalaev, then reclaimed it by knockout. Pereira now targets becoming the UFC's first three-division champion.