Alex Pereira And Dana White Agree On ‘Poatan’ Staying At Light Heavyweight 

Dana White recently resonated with Alex Pereira’s intention to stay put at light heavyweight. 

After Sean Strickland’s incredible middleweight title win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, ‘Poatan’ took to social media to announce that he’ll no longer consider moving back down to 185 pounds. For context, Pereira has been Strickland’s sparring partner over the past few months, and the two have become friends. Interestingly, the Brazilian secured a first-round knockout win over ‘Tarzan’ at UFC 276. 

Considering their relationship, Alex Pereira unsurprisingly also predicted Sean Strickland to beat Israel Adesanya. While it’s unclear if ‘Poatan’ sticks to his word, it seems Dana White has similar thoughts. The UFC president recently stated that he doesn’t expect the former middleweight champion to return to middleweight anytime soon. 

During the UFC 293 post-fight press conference, White cited Pereira’s massive weight cut as an important factor behind his decision to remain a 205-pound contender. It’s no secret that Pereira was widely known to be a massive-sized 185-pound contender, with many joking that the former kickboxing champion was a light heavyweight pretending to be a middleweight. 

While Dana White didn’t definitively shut the middleweight door for Pereira, he firmly iterated his belief that Pereira wouldn’t go back to middleweight. Given the current light heavyweight title picture, this development puts Pereira in an interesting spot. The 36-year-old Brazilian is likely to challenge for the vacant 205-pound strap next. With rumors of a title fight between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka making rounds, it seems more than likely. However, there is no official announcement yet. 

Alex Pereira made his light heavyweight debut against Jan Blachowicz in July. The Brazilian defeated the former champion via split decision. His decision to permanently move up to 205 pounds came after his middleweight title loss earlier this year.