Pereira beware: Ciryl Gane says this won’t be pure striking — He can finish it on the ground

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Ciryl Gane appears to be getting ready to use his full skill set when he takes on Alex Pereira on June 14.

Supporters expecting a Pereira knockout are basing that prediction largely on his track record, both in kickboxing and MMA. While both men have solid striking backgrounds, Pereira’s extensive experience and titles in kickboxing make him a clear favourite in the eyes of many.

Both fighters are known for their striking, but ‘Poatan’ has an edge thanks to his decorated kickboxing career before transitioning to MMA.

Even though Tom Aspinall likes Gane for his movement, ‘Bon Gamin’ recently made it clear that he’s not just relying on footwork—he believes there’s more to his game than what people usually see.

Ciryl Gane plans to lean on his full MMA game against Alex Pereira

Ciryl Gane has worked with kickboxers like Artem Vakhitov before, so he knows what it’s like to face someone as dangerous as Alex Pereira in that area.

While his movement and striking remain the strongest parts of his game, Ciryl Gane’s ground skills have often been seen as a weakness in the biggest moments of his career.

Even so, when asked if their bout would be strictly a stand-up contest, Gane pushed back against that idea.

Speaking to UFC on Paramount+, he said: “I don’t want to say it’s going to be 100% a striking matchup. This is MMA and everybody knows I can do also some wrestling, some take downs, some stuff like that. I can finish the fight also on the ground so I’m not going to say 100% it’s going to be a striking matchup.”

Introducing some grappling could make sense for Gane, at least early on. Even if he doesn’t plan to win there, just mixing in those threats might help him open up more opportunities when they’re standing.

Pereira hasn’t been taken down since his first win over Jiri Prochazka back in November 2023. Jan Blachowicz spent more than seven minutes controlling him during their fight but ended up fading late and lost by split decision.

Pereira holds a 79% takedown defence rate, which stands out compared to Gane’s 47%, though much of that comes from Pereira facing smaller opposition while Gane has gone up against larger heavyweights throughout his career.