Staying at HW seems ill-advised.
Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira has announced plans to fight in November before challenging for the heavyweight title again. The Brazilian fighter lost his bid to become a three-division champion when Ciryl Gane finished him at UFC Freedom 250 in June.
Pereira spoke about his future plans during a UFC Q&A session on Friday. He confirmed he wants to face the winner of the upcoming Tom Aspinall versus Ciryl Gane heavyweight title fight.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “I want to fight the winner of that fight, but I definitely want to have another fight before that, so we’ll see.”
Gane is scheduled to face Aspinall later this year in Paris, with September being the target date. The two fighters previously met in a bout that ended in a no contest, setting up this anticipated rematch to unify the heavyweight championship.
Pereira’s Championship Journey
Pereira currently holds a record of 13-4 in MMA and 10-3 in the UFC. The former kickboxing champion has won titles at both middleweight and light heavyweight since joining the organization.
“I take everything one step at a time,” Pereira explained. “My first goal was to get to the middleweight belt. I got there, won the belt, and then I moved up, won that belt.”
The 39-year-old fighter attempted to make history by becoming the first three-division champion in UFC history. His loss to Gane marked a setback in that pursuit, but Pereira remains focused on achieving his goal.
“I just tried going for a third belt,” Pereira said. “It didn’t work out, but I’m very motivated, and I have a lot of willpower to keep going.”
Looking for an Opponent
Pereira does not have a confirmed opponent for his planned November fight. Fighter Josh Hokit has publicly called for a matchup with the Brazilian striker.
“I don’t have an opponent yet,” Pereira stated. “I still have to sit down with the organization and talk about that. Whoever they put in front of me, I’m fighting them.”
The fighter’s willingness to stay active reflects his approach throughout his UFC career. Pereira has built a reputation for accepting fights on short notice and maintaining a busy schedule inside the octagon.
Gane currently holds a record of 14-2 in MMA and 11-2 in the UFC. His victory over Pereira earned him an interim heavyweight title and set up the unification bout with Aspinall.
Aspinall holds the full heavyweight championship with a record of 15-3 in MMA and 8-1 in the UFC. The British fighter will defend his title against the French challenger in what is being described as one of the most anticipated heavyweight clashes in recent years.
Pereira indicated he does not want to wait until after the Aspinall-Gane fight to compete again. “I definitely want to fight before then, and after that, I definitely want to fight for the title,” he said during the Q&A session.
Oh, please feed him to Hokit
sergei or Volkoff imo
Honestly he fought the worst matchup he could possibly have. A true HW striker who can beat him at his own game.
I would say a top grappler would be his toughest fight, but outside of Steveson i dont see anyone with a good takedown game at HW. And that include Blaydes and Hokit.
dudes been knocked out by a middleweight, lhw, and HW…gamechanger for sure
Maldonado-Miocic vibes
He didn’t look comfortable being HW hit and his hits dont shake a heavyweight like all those lighter weights did
Why? Heavyweight sucks