Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has stated the he’d like to move up to the heavyweight division after his last two fights. A former middleweight champion, Pereira could be the first fighter in UFC history to win championships in three different weight classes.
“I think that’s (a move to heavyweight) in my future. I said that last time I was here. I said it a lot but there didn’t seem to be too much interest in the organization, but I’m here. I’m available, and I do think that’s in my future” Pereira said following his second-round knockout win over Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 303 main event on Saturday.
While the fight promotion may not want Pereira to make the move to heavyweight, UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley does. In his UFC 303 reaction video, O’Malley pondered the potential matchups for “Poatan” in the heavyweight division.
“Imagine Alex Pereira versus Jon Jones. Yeah. Alex Pereira verus Stipe [Miocic]. Yeah. Imagine Alex versus Francis [Ngannou] at the Apex. That would be crazy,” O’Malley said. “He’s knocking these dudes out with ease it looks like. It literally looks like he’s doing it with ease. I would love to see him go up to heavyweight.”
“He possesses an unreal KO power in that left hook. The left head kick. He has a beautiful switch kick. His leg kicks are really good. I mean, he’s mastered his style,” O’Malley continued. “He’s as good as it gets.”
Pereira holds knockout wins over former middleweight champions Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya. Since moving to the 205-pound weight class, Pereira has knocked out former titleholders Jamahal Hill, and Jiri Prochazka twice. He also has a split decision win over former champion Jan Blachowicz. He’s stopped six of his nine UFC opponents.
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