Summary
Poatan promotes UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube/UFC
After a lot of training, the moment is finally arriving for Alex Poatan to put everything into practice in pursuit of his dream of winning an unprecedented three-peat at UFC Casa Branca . In the co-main event of the historic event taking place this Sunday (14), in Washington (USA), the Brazilian will face Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut (up to 120,2 kg). And, despite the magnitude of the fight, anyone who thinks the renowned striker is nervous or worried about the Frenchman is mistaken.
On the contrary, Poatan exuded confidence to face 'Bon Gamin' to the point of even downplaying his partnership with Artem Vakhitov. While the Brazilian recruited Jhonata Diniz and Tallison Teixeira to help him prepare against Gane, the latter, in turn, trained with the Russian, a rival of the veteran in his Glory days.
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In fact, the athletes faced each other twice in the world's largest kickboxing company in 2021. In the first fight, Poatan won by split decision, but Vakhitov got his revenge in the rematch and won by majority decision. Upon discovering the partnership between the strikers, the Brazilian provoked him, emphasizing that the best advice his old acquaintance could give his current opponent is to highlight how good and dangerous he is.
“Gane is training with Vakhitov? That makes no difference. Kickboxing and MMA are different sports, and I’m certainly not the same fighter who fought Vakhitov. I’ve evolved a lot,” said the veteran on the UFC White House ’s ‘Countdown’ program , available on the company’s official YouTube channel.
"Maybe he has this thought that the guy is going to go through something, but he's the one who's going to be there, he's the one who's going to be feeling the blows. If Vakhitov is an honest guy, the best advice would be, 'Be careful, because this guy is tough'," he concluded.
UFC White House
UFC White House , also known as UFC Freedom 250 , will take place on June 14th at the official residence of the US president in Washington, D.C. Unlike usual, the event will be held on a Sunday, Donald Trump's birthday.
In the main event of UFC Casa Branca , Spaniard Ilia Topuria defends his lightweight title (up to 70,3 kg) against the interim title holder, American Justin Gaethje.
Alex Poatan in the spotlight
Alex Poatan will be a featured athlete at UFC Casa Branca . Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Brazil will be represented at UFC Casa Branca . In the co-main event, Alex Poatan attempts an unprecedented feat. The former middleweight (up to 83,9 kg) and light heavyweight (up to 93 kg) champion is seeking the interim heavyweight (up to 120 kg) title against Frenchman Ciryl Gane.
Besides Poatan, Mauricio Ruffy and Diego Lopes are the other Brazilian athletes on the card. They face Michael Chandler and Steve Garcia , respectively.
UFC White House fight schedule
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje – Title fight
Heavyweight (up to 120 kg): Alex Poatan vs. Ciryl Gane – Interim title fight
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Sean O'Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi
Heavyweight (up to 120 kg): Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Bo Nickal x Kyle Daukaus
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia
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