Brazilian Alex Poatan was knocked out by Frenchman Ciryl Gane on Sunday night (June 14, 2026), during the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) event held in the gardens of the White House, in Washington DC, in the United States.
The defeat prevented Poatan from becoming the 1st fighter to win belts in 3 categories. Middleweight champion in 2022 and light heavyweight champion in 2023, he made his heavyweight debut in the fight for the division’s interim title.
After a balanced 1st round, the Frenchman knocked Poatan down with a counter blow at the beginning of the 2nd round. The Brazilian athlete managed to get up after receiving punches and elbows on the ground. He was then cornered by Gane, who hit another sequence of blows until the referee stopped him.
After the fight, Poatan said he will still analyze with the team whether he will remain in the heavyweight division or return to the light heavyweight category.
“That’s the risk. If I hadn’t taken the risk every time I fought, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I don’t know [se sigo nos pesados ou volto para os meio-pesados]. The fight just happened. I have to decide things well. Likewise, when I lost in the middle, we decided to move up. We made a decision with my team and now we’re going to do it the same way”.
Poatan had vacated the light heavyweight belt before attempting to win the title in another division. Despite the defeat, he stated that he does not regret the decision.
Gane said that the team considered it possible to defeat the Brazilian and claimed to have been underestimated before the clash.
“We worked hard. I’m very proud of what I did and of my team. We knew it was something possible to do. Everyone knows I’m a good athlete, I move well and I’m very technical. But people underestimate me”he stated.
Here are the other results of the night:
- Justin Gaethje beat Ilia Topuria by technical knockout after the corner was interrupted at the end of the 4th round;
- Sean O’Malley defeated Aiemann Zahabi by knockout in the 2nd round;
- Josh Hokit beat Derrick Lewis by TKO in the 2nd round;
- Maurício Ruffy beat Michael Chandler by technical knockout in the 1st round;
- Bo Nickal beat Kyle Daukaus by TKO in the 1st round;
- Diego Lopes beat Steve Garcia by technical knockout in the 2nd round.
UFC AT THE WHITE HOUSE
UFC Casa Branca was held on the day that the President of the United States, (Republican Party), turned 80 years old. The octagon was installed on the south lawn of the US government headquarters.
UFC President Dana White is an ally of Trump. He supported the Republican in presidential campaigns, spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention and helped the then candidate to reach young voters, especially men. In 2020, US outlets reported that White donated US$1 million to Trump’s campaign.
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