Apr 8, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) is looked over by medical staff after the fight against Israel Adesanya (blue gloves) during UFC 287 at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

mma

Light Heavyweight Era Ending For Poatan? Alex Pereira Hints At Weight Class Move Ahead Of UFC 320!

Alex Pereira has been an absolute wrecking ball at light heavyweight. The Brazilian knockout artist has demolished everyone the UFC has put in front of him since moving up from middleweight. He’s defended the 205-pound title multiple times and made it look easy. But all good things must come to an end and ‘Poatan’ just dropped a hint that his light heavyweight era might be running out of gas.

The 38 year old champion has been cutting weight for decades now, first in kickboxing and now in MMA. Anyone who’s ever tried to lose even five pounds knows it’s miserable. Pereira (12-3) admitted that his body naturally wants to be heavier these days, which makes sense considering he’s walking around much bigger between fights.

Alex Pereira Contemplating Heavyweight Move

Speaking to reporters before his title rematch against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, Pereira got surprisingly honest about his future in the division. The weight cuts are getting harder, his body keeps getting bigger, and Father Time waits for nobody. When a reporter asked whether he wanted to finish his career at light heavyweight or heavyweight, Poatan kept it real and said he doesn’t know how much longer he can make 205 pounds.

“I really don’t know. We’ll have to see. Obviously, my body gets heavier, and I don’t know how long I can cut to 205 [pounds]. We’re just going to have to see and take it fight by fight.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MMA Junkie (@mmajunkie)

Before anyone starts planning Pereira’s heavyweight debut, he’s got unfinished business this weekend. The rematch against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 is personal for Alex Pereira. He lost the title to Ankalaev in their first meeting, and that defeat clearly still bothers him. In a recent interview, Pereira claimed he was only at 40 percent for their first fight due to various issues going on in his life. Whether fans believe that or not, the champion sounds supremely confident about the rematch.

Poatan Breaks Down Aspinall vs Gane Heavyweight Showdown

While discussing his own future, Pereira also shared some interesting thoughts on the upcoming heavyweight title fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. The fight happens later this month at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, and everyone’s curious about how it plays out. Aspinall became the full champion after Jon Jones retired and vacated the belt back in June. He’s coming off a devastating first-round knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 last July. Meanwhile, Gane last fought in December when he beat Alexander Volkov by split decision.

Pereira called Aspinall a complete fighter but pointed out something most people haven’t considered. The Englishman has mostly faced aggressive opponents who come forward and brawl. Gane is a completely different animal with his movement and cautious approach.

“It’s a tough fight, you know. Tom is a complete fighter, but I do feel like he’s fought a lot of aggressive guys, and I think Gane is a guy who’s gonna do a lot of moving, and he’s gonna be a little more cautious, and that moving around might frustrate Tom. First, second, third round, maybe Tom can’t find Ciryl Gane, I think it’s gonna be a different fight.”

Pereira thinks Gane’s constant movement and more careful style might really frustrate Aspinall. If the Frenchman can stay elusive for the first few rounds and Aspinall can’t find him, it could turn into a very different kind of fight than what Tom is used to. It’s actually a pretty smart breakdown from ‘Poatan’, showing he studies the game even outside his own division. The fact that he’s analyzing heavyweight fights this closely might also hint at where his head is regarding a potential move up.

(Image Credit: Rich Storry – Imagn Images)

Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev

Tom Aspinall

UFC 320

Zaid Quraishi

mma

I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!