Two-weight UFC champion Alex Pereira keeps hinting that an historic UFC move could next be on the cards for him.
Once a decorated kickboxer, Pereira transitioned to mixed martial arts, determined to follow in the footsteps of his old rival Israel Adesanya, and quickly became one of the most accomplished fighters in all MMA with wins over Sean Strickland, Jiri Prochazka, and Magomed Ankalaev across the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, winning the title in both.
The only fighter ranked in the top six contender positions who Pereira hasn't beaten already is Carlos Ulberg, which has led to speculation as to whom could provide the Brazilian with a fresh challenge outside the New Zealand striker. But Pereira has his own preferences as he seemingly chases a heavyweight test, and a possible chance to become the only UFC fighter in history to win a title in a third division.
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Posts By Alan Dawson 2 days ago Alex Pereira Teases Heavyweight Fight Online
Earlier in the year, Pereira said on The Ariel Helwani Show that his typical walk-around weight is 235 pounds, which is comfortably inside the heavyweight range of 206 to 265 pounds in mixed martial arts. It is also 30 pounds higher than the cut-off for light heavyweight championship bouts, which means he has to cut a considerable amount just to make weight to defend his title.
"Even at middleweight, I was at 230 before fights."
Posting more recently, Pereira on Instagram added a couple of images. One of those pictures was of him showing the two belts he's won in the UFC -- one at middleweight, and one at light heavyweight. When you swipe right, you see Pereira holding up three fingers -- a nod, perhaps, to a third belt to win.
There is one opponent in particular Pereira seemingly has in mind to fight at heavyweight, as he's continually been linked to the all-time great fighter Jon Jones. In a separate post on Instagram, he even called out 'Bones' to fight him at The White House which is a UFC event tentatively planned in June, to coincide with US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, as well as the USA's 250th anniversary celebrations.
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Posts By Alan Dawson 4 days ago Why Dana White Isn't Keen on a Heavyweight Move
Though a Pereira vs Jones bout is one of the few superfights the UFC could realistically book, it's a contest boss Dana White would likely be loath to make. "There are still fights in this division [light heavyweight]," White said last month. "But we will see."
On why a Pereira move to heavyweight does not fill him with as much joy as it does with Pereira, or fans of the UFC, White elaborated: "That he was a middleweight, and he's going to jump up two weight classes in the UFC. It's not like jumping up two weight classes in boxing. It's a big jump."
"I just don't see, unless he wants to retire, why throwing him in at heavyweight makes any sense."
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