Alex Pereira has a handful of exciting options for his next fight, including the chance to become the first fighter to hold titles across three weight classes should he get a shot at Tom Aspinall.
Pereira returned to the Octagon in style with a first round knockout over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. The headline fight did not disappoint as Pereira made the most of his time in the spotlight thanks to a devastating left hook, living up to his ‘stone hand’ nickname.
The anticipation could not be higher for Pereira’s next fight, here is all you need to know about who the UFC light-heavyweight champion could be facing next.
Contents
- Alex Pereira vs Tom Aspinall
- Keeping the Israel Adesanya rivalry alive
- A light-heavyweight showdown vs Magomed Ankalaev
- Alex Pereira record
Alex Pereira vs Tom Aspinall
If Pereira wants to become the first fighter in the promotion’s history to hold three titles across three weight classes – there could not be a more statement way to do so than to defeat interim heavyweight champion, Aspinall.
If fans thought the sport could not get any better after a mouthwatering UFC 300 card, a showdown between Pereira and Aspinall would simply be colossal.
Following Pereira’s savage knockout of Hill in the main event, Aspinall posted a video of himself staring at Pereira during the Brazilian’s walk to the Octagon – showing clear intentions as to who he wants to face next.
Pereira said after his victory over Hill that he wanted to fight in Brazil next month at UFC 301, calling for a heavyweight fight to be made. Although the timing did not align, there is still an epic fight to be made.
“I’m injury free,” Pereira said during his post-fight interview at UFC 300. “I want to fight in Brazil. I know it’s a short time, but let’s see what happens … I know there needs to be promotion for a title fight, so I don’t care, let me do a fight at heavyweight [at UFC 301].”
The Brazilian dream, for now, might be dead. But his shot at Aspinall, well that is still very much alive but he will have to wait until after July’s UFC 304, as the British fighter headlines the show in a rematch against heavyweight rival Curtis Blaydes.
But Aspinall has kept his cards close to his chest over a possible showdown, as he waxed lyrical over the Brazilian’s talent as a fighter.
“First of all, let me start by saying that Alex Periera is a f***ing scary dude, the guy carries a lot of power,” he told Submission Radio.
“If he doesn’t want to move up to heavyweight yet I’m not going to keep trying to trash his name. I don’t know the guy.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for what he’s done, his body of work in the UFC. The guy’s really good, I’m a fan of his – he’s f***ing awesome. I wish him all the best, whatever he chooses.”
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Keeping the Israel Adesanya rivalry alive
Speaking of keeping things alive, Pereira and Isreal Adesanya have a score to settle.
They have currently fought each other in the Octagon twice, with each of the pair winning once and losing once. Adesanya won the last time the pair met at UFC 287, avenging his defeat to Pereira at UFC 281 just five months prior.
Their rivalry runs deeper though, with Pereira beating Adesanya twice under kickboxing rules prior to their MMA bouts.
Although Adesanya has said that their saga is over, with Dana White showing he isn’t afraid to dig deeper into his pockets to hype up an event, it would be premature to rule another fight at light-heavyweight out of the equation.
“I don’t keep score I settle them,” Adesanya said after he beat Pereira in 2023. “Now it’s settled. Look, I gave him a fast-track to the belt, I could have said ‘Nah, who has he fought?’ He fought one top five guy but nah, he did well, fought some alright guys and beat f***ing Strickland.
“I was like ‘fine there’s no one else’, I was looking for that challenge, the guy that beat me in kickboxing, that’s why I took that fight. The rematch? I got the immediate rematch because of what I’ve done in this game…
“I did the hard yards and I earned my f***ing rematch, now he’s got to do the hard yards if he wants to do that and I don’t think he’s going to.”
A light-heavyweight showdown vs Magomed Ankalaev
Pereira could face a very different challenge if he was to give Magomed Ankalaev a shot at the light-heavyweight title.
Ankalaev’s grappling would present a very different challenge for the man known for his ‘stone hand’, with the Russian claiming that Poatan doesn’t have a chin.
It’s hard to argue that Jiri Prochazka deserves an immediate shot at the title following his defeat to Pereira last November, despite an impressive performance at UFC 300, so if the Brazilian is to remain in the same weight class and defend his title then a bout with Ankalaev does make sense.
Admittedly it might not be the most eye-catching fight the sport has ever seen, but Ankalaev is undefeated in his last 12 fights. A right hook-uppercut knockout against Johnny Walker was the latest collection to add to his growing highlight reel.
Alex Pereira record
Pereira’s record stands at 10-2-0: 10 wins and two defeats across his 12 fights in the UFC.
As well as Hill, the 36-year-old has beaten the likes of Jiri Prochazka, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya during his rise to UFC stardom.