We have had some interesting line movement here, nothing suspicious, but certainly the public pushing narratives. Alex opened as an almost 2-1 underdog but pushed all the way to a -120 favorite and has now creeped back to underdog at even money.

I want to start this off by saying I am unbelievably biased here. I am a tremendous Alex Pereira fan and want him to not only go down as the first and only 3 division champ, but also the best fighter to ever do it. The problem is that while he is very close to achieving that goal, I don't think he does. I think Ciryl is just too clean and too mobile. He won't be standing still and Alex will be stuck chasing him and that's exactly what Ciryl wants. He wants to dance on the outside and get you to commit so he can counter and bail. I don't expect much wrestling here, especially with all the work Alex put in, but if Ciryl threatens it, that will only open the hands up even more. Alex has had so much success so far in the UFC because of his size, power and obviously technical skill. In this matchup he should have the power the advantage because I will assume it carries with him, but he won't have the size advantage, the speed advantage or frankly the skill advantage. Ciryl is too fast, too clean and has too good of footwork to get trapped in a corner and bombed on. I would love NOTHING more than to be dumb wrong here. I even bet on Ciryl and if I lose that money, it would be a gift and the best donation I have ever made. The pick is with Ciryl but the heart and the love of this sport will be with Alex.

Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira is a former 2 division champion and one of the biggest stars the sport has. He is a world class kickboxer that dominated that world before moving into this one. He has ungodly power and a willingness to fight anyone, anywhere. His takedown defense has improved dramatically and he has put on significant size to complete at heavyweight for the first time. He is coming off the rematch KO win over Magomed Ankalaev.

Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane is a technical striker who has high volume and a well rounded arsenal. He has one of the best in and out striking games in the heavyweight division. His striking differential is an impressive 5-2 which speaks to how incredible his footwork and movement really is. He also uses that footwork to setup the occasional takedown. He is coming off the eye poke against Tom Aspinall where he looked good early but did cause the fight to be cancelled.