Alex Pereira has a response to Ciryl Gane receiving advice from the last man to defeat him under kickboxing rules.

Back in 2021, Pereira lost the Glory Heavyweight Championship to Artem Vakhitov via majority decision. Rather than look for revenge, “Poatan” ended up moving on to MMA full-time, and he has since carved out his legacy in the sport. Pereira now has a chance to win a UFC title in a third weight class at UFC Freedom 250 when he meets Gane for the interim gold.

During the UFC Freedom 250 Countdown, Gane was seen going over tape of the aforementioned Glory Kickboxing match with Vakhitov sharing some of his wisdom. Pereira responded by warning Gane that a lot has changed since that fight (via MMAJunkie).

“Ciryl Gane’s training with Vakhitov? It doesn’t make a difference,” Pereira said. “Kickboxing and MMA are different sports, and I’m not the same fighter I was when I fought Vakhitov. I’ve evolved a lot. Maybe he thinks the guy can give him some useful information, but he’s the one who’s going to be in there with me. If Artem Vakhitov is an honest guy, the most important thing he’ll say is, ‘Be careful with this guy. He’s f*cking tough.'”

The winner of Pereira vs. Gane would seemingly be due for a title unification bout with Tom Aspinall. At the moment, Aspinall’s situation with the UFC brass is a bit dicey. Aspinall linked up with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn as part of a talent agency deal, and Hearn is demanding a pay raise for his fighter.

There might be a world where whoever wins the interim title on Saturday is recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion without a unification bout in the coming months. Time will tell if cooler heads ultimately prevail between Aspinall and UFC.

Do you think the advice Ciryl Gane received from Artem Vakhitov will play any significant role in the UFC Freedom 250 bout against Alex Pereira? Sound off in the comments below.