UFC Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is set to defend his title for the third time this year. He will face Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 and before the matchup, he has already hinted at his next move. Despite recent speculation about a potential super-fight at heavyweight against Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall, “Poatan” expressed his desire to move to the middleweight division and issued a challenge to Dricus Du Plessis.
Pereira took Instagram and announced that regardless of the outcome, he wants to drop down to middleweight once again and try to capture the title. He called out “StillKnocks” directly and urged him to join the fight. “Hey Dricus, bring your will to fight me so you can prove that you are better than me,” wrote Pereira.
White about Pereira’s decision to move down
Earlier, Pereira’s coach, Glover Teixeira, stated that moving up to heavyweight would be no problem for the Brazilian fighter. However, Pereira is focused on reclaiming the middleweight title before jumping to other divisions. UFC president Dana White quickly responded to Pereira’s plans during a post-fight press conference for Dana White’s Contender Series. White praised Poatan’s desires to fight in multiple classes, calling him nasty. “He wants to move up, he wants to move down, he wants to do everything— that’s why people love him,” said White.
The UFC President praised Poatan
White further stated that Alex Pereira’s flexibility further gives the promotion a lot of options in terms of matchmaking. “It’s a good problem to have with a guy like him.” He also recalled the Brazilian’s history of stepping up for short-notice fights and highlighted his popularity among fans. However, the UFC CEO noted that timing could be a factor for Pereira, who is currently 37-years-old. Adding the heavyweight title implications, especially with the upcoming matchup between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, White said this could influence Pereira’s future moves.
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Interestingly, the middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis has asked Pereira to stay at light heavyweight so that he can move up and fight “Poatan.” For now, Pereira will prepare for UFC 307 that is set to be held on October 7. Only the future will tell whether Pereira will move down to capture the middleweight title or move up to heavyweight.
