Among the many exciting moments scattered throughout UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, Ciryl Gane taking on Alex Pereira certainly ranked high.

Poatan made the jump up to heavyweight, taking on Gane, who was coming off the back of a controversial bout against Tom Aspinall. The chance to become a three-weight world champion and further etch himself in the history books was up for grabs for the Brazilian. However, the step-up seemed one too many as the Frenchman made it look easy on his way to becoming the interim UFC heavyweight champion.

It’s the third time Pereira has tasted defeat during his tenure with the UFC. Interestingly, all three have come in different weight classes, with Israel Adesanya, Magomed Ankalaev, and now Gane all finding a way to solve the Poatan puzzle. With defeat comes adversity, and it seems like his initial handling of the situation resonated with another UFC star.

Amber Searls via Imagn Images

During the fight, Poatan didn’t seem as mobile and couldn’t find his rhythm. Perhaps making such a drastic jump in weight hurt his speed, while the power also may not have translated. Gane was controlling the fight from the outside, with his movement dazzling the Brazilian. In the opening stages of the second round, it was more of the same, with a jab dropping Pereira; from there, the onslaught ensued.

Gane connected with a barrage of strikes before Herb Dean called a stop to the contest. It was one-sided, perhaps in a way few fighters and fans would have expected.

Following the loss, fellow fighter at UFC Freedom 250, Sean O’Malley, touched on how good his mentality is even after such a tough moment.

“I was like, ‘That dude is a legend,’ just for having that perspective so quickly after a fight and carrying that mentality… a lot of respect for that.”

What Next For Alex Pereira

After making the jump up to heavyweight, and dramatically changing his build, Pereira is in an interesting situation. What’s next for him in this division, especially after not being able to assert himself against someone like Gane?

In an interview after the fight, he’d already called for a rematch. However, this isn’t likely to happen given the manner in which the fight ended, and the fact that Aspinall and Gane now need to fight in order to make the championship undisputed. That fight has already been touted for September, which suggests Pereira would need another win before any possible title shot.

Josh Hokit had plenty to say about the Brazilian in the lead-up to the White House card, with the American criticising him at both press conferences. Hokit has brought himself into title contention following wins over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. Could he be the next best challenge for Pereira?

Former Liverpool and Germany midfielder Didi Hamann has caused a real stir with his comments about Harry Kane following England’s victory over Croatia at the 2026 World Cup.

Kane, who had an outstanding 2025/26 season with Bayern Munich which saw him record 68 goal contributions (61 goals and seven assists) in just 51 games, was named in England’s starting XI for their opening match of the tournament.

England’s captain, who is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or this year, put in another outstanding performance as the Three Lions picked up all three points. Kane scored his side’s first two goals as England won 4-2 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Didi Hamann Questions Harry Kane After England 4-2 Croatia

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Kane has, rightfully so, received many plaudits for his performance against Croatia. Not everyone has been gushing over the 32-year-old, though.

Hamann was covering the match as a pundit for RTE. Following the game, he said ‘the jury is still out’ about England’s captain as he questioned his effectiveness in big matches.

He said: “He’s scored eight in the group games. He’s got two against Tunisia, three against Panama, penalty against Colombia in the round of 16.

“Out of 10 goals he’s got seven or eight in the group stage. He’s playing in his third World Cup now. He’s the captain and he’s there to score goals in the knockout games.

He added: “When I see him move sometimes, obviously he scores a lot of goals, then again in Munich every centre-forward has scored goals. It doesn’t matter if he scores 35 or 25, they’re going to win the league, usually.

‘”In the Champions League this is where he scored this season against Paris [PSG]. Then again, when I watch the level of Paris and watch his level, I’m not sure. I think there’s a few centre-forwards in this tournament I’d probably rather have in my team than him.

“In tournament football you score on the counter-attack. He won’t score on the counter-attack. Because when you play against the best teams sometimes you have to sit back and then go 50-60 yards to score a goal. If [Noni] Madueke takes off, if [Anthony] Gordon or [Marcus] Rashford take off, he won’t be able to keep up with him.

“I’m sitting on the fence for now, I’ve got my doubts about him. Whether he’s the player that’s taking England to the World Cup. At some stage in the tournament you need pace and he simply hasn’t got it.”

He continued: “His finishing is probably the best in the tournament, the best in the world. Left foot, right foot, give him half a chance and he’ll score. But does he get in these positions against Germany, against Brazil, against France? I’m not too sure.”

Nathan Ray Seebeck via Reuters

Hamann’s comments have not gone down well on social media. One fan said: “Surely up there one of the stupidest things anyone has uttered,” while a second wrote: “This is the most ridiculous statement I have heard in a while.”

A third stated: “This is one of the worst 2 minutes of punditry I’ve ever seen in my life,” while a fourth added: “Bloke’s a clown.”

Kane and England are next in action on Tuesday, June 23 when they take on Ghana at Boston Stadium. The African side also won their opening match of the tournament as they beat Panama 1-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo wore a special shirt in Portugal’s 2026 World Cup opener against DR Congo, and is likely to continue to do so for the rest of this summer’s tournament.

Ronaldo, despite being 41 years old, was included in Roberto Martinez’s 26-man Portugal squad for the competition in North America.

This summer’s tournament will most likely be the last opportunity for Ronaldo to end his career as a World Cup winner.

He was named in Portugal’s starting lineup for their opening match of the tournament against DR Congo on Wednesday afternoon. However, he struggled to make an impact at Houston Stadium.

Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes but was unable to get on the scoresheet as Portugal stumbled to a 1-1 draw against the African outfit.

Cristiano Ronaldo Wears Special Shirt vs DR Congo

Phil Noble via Reuters

Ronaldo is starring at a record-equalling sixth World Cup this summer. His World Cup career began in 2006 when he helped his nation to the semi-finals. He has since featured for Portugal in 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and now 2026.

To commemorate his achievements, Ronaldo’s World Cup shirt features a special ‘legacy’ patch on the sleeve.

The patch, which is located just below the World Cup logo, features the Portugal flag alongside the word ‘legacy’.

Only players that have featured in five or more World Cup tournaments are permitted to wear the special patch this summer.

Argentina star Lionel Messi also wore the patch during Argentina’s opener against Algeria. He has also played in the same six World Cups that Ronaldo has played in.

Japan’s Yūto Nagatomo, Germany captain Manuel Neuer and Croatia star Luka Modric also wore the patch in their matches against the Netherlands, Curaçao and Croatia respectively.

Cristiano Ronaldo Slammed For Performance vs DR Congo

Cristiano Ronaldo via REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

Ronaldo was slammed by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino following his performance against DR Congo.

He said, per Goal: “I’m trying to be as kind as I can… but he [Ronaldo] was really off it. And he just looks like time has caught up with him. He hasn’t got the pace. He’s not even got the energy to pick up the ball.

“He offered nothing to the Portuguese team. I can’t believe Martinez has kept him on. I’m thinking, ‘This is your job – does he just want to keep friends with Ronaldo? Do you want to stay on his side?’ You’ve got to take people off.

“If that’s the decision that improves the team and gives the best chance of winning, you’ve got to make it as a manager. And I know he’s going to leave at the end of this term. This felt like it’s a manager just going, ‘I’m gonna stay pals with my mate Ronaldo’.”

Thierry Henry was also critical of his ‘seflish’ play. The Frenchman said on Fox: “One thing that’s important, people, please at home, the team needs to score. Not you needs to score…

“Because he wants to score, he goes in the path of the back pass, you see both players, and it’s easier for you to defend. And that’s my thing: the team needs to score. Not you.”

Ronaldo and Portugal return to action on Tuesday, June 23 when they take on Uzbekistan.