Ciryl Gane is preparing to face one of the greatest strikers in UFC history.
Alex Pereira is already entering the UFC Hall of Fame this year and he has the opportunity to try and make history as the first fighter to win belts in three divisions.
To stop ‘Poatan’ from doing that, many believe that ‘Bon Gamin’ will have to beat the Brazilian knockout artist at his own game due to both men preferring to stand and strike.
Donovan Wisse didn’t get to face Alex Pereira, but as a kickboxing champion who has earned comparisons to him, he is well-equipped to weigh in on this matchup.
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Donovan Wisse highlights the importance of Ciryl Gane training with elite kickboxers ahead of Alex Pereira fight
While Alex Pereira’s preparations concern adapting to life as a heavyweight for the time being, Ciryl Gane hasn’t wasted any time before putting work in against some elite strikers.
Last month, Gane was seen sparring GLORY heavyweight champion Mory Kromah, one of the most dangerous fighters in the promotion where ‘Poatan’ formerly held two belts simultaneously.
GLORY middleweight champion Donovan Wisse recently told Bloody Elbow that he believes Pereira will look to quickly nullify his opponent’s movement by backing him up before looking to land damage.
The champion’s counter to this point referenced the footage that has come out from Gane’s camp and the importance of him sparring with high-level kickboxers.
“It’s a big step because Ciryl Gane is not an easy fight for the title,” Wisse said. “He moves a lot, he’s a good kickboxer… I think it’s going to be a great fight because I think Alex is going to lock him up against the cage and then explode but we’ll see how Ciryl Gane is going to move because he’s sparring now with Mory Kromah and a lot of kickboxers right now so it’s going to be an exciting matchup.”
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Wisse, who returns to face Chico Kwasi in a title defense at GLORY 107 this Saturday, has held the promotion’s middleweight title ever since it was vacated by Pereira.
The Brazilian icon closed out his kickboxing career with back-to-back fights at light heavyweight in 2021.
In the latest footage from Gane’s preparations, he trained alongside Artem Vakhitov, who went 1-1 with Pereira in those two aforementioned bouts that took place five years ago.
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