Alex Pereira is ready to test himself in the heavyweight division of the UFC, but only if it’s for the undisputed championship. “Poatan” successfully defended his light heavyweight title at UFC 303 against Jiri Prochazka last month. Less than two months ago, he made his first title defense by knocking out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300.
Pereira has no interest for interim title
Interim Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall may have touted Pereira as a future challenger, but “Poatan” is not interested in fighting for anything less than the official title. On his YouTube channel, Pereira made it clear that fighting Aspinall is not appealing to him at the moment. He stressed that the Heavyweight title is not his main goal for now.
“Tom Aspinall, I’m not talking about him as a fighter, I’m talking about position. I think I’m in another position now. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense for me to fight for the interim belt,” said Pereira.
Poatan acknowledged Aspinall
Pereira acknowledged Aspinall’s skills but said fighting for the interim belt doesn’t make sense for him right now. Aspinall is set to defend his interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. The Brazilian fighter has great respect for Aspinall as a fantastic athlete, but fighting for the interim belt doesn’t interest him yet. He further stated that if Aspinall were the official champion, he would be more willing to fight. For the time being, Pereira has now ruled out the possibility of facing Aspinall for the interim title.
The Brazilian is focused on light heavyweight division
When Pereira was asked about a possible challenge from Jon Jones, he expressed interest but said it was not his primary focus at the moment. He is currently focused on his progress and achievements in the light heavyweight division, where he is satisfied and developing. Looking to the future, Pereira is focused on defending his title and has no intention of fighting before December. He acknowledged the possibility of facing Magomed Ankalaev, whose name is often mentioned as his next opponent and emphasized his readiness to face any challenger in his division.
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