Alex Pereira lost his middleweight debut.
He is making preparations to ensure that does not happen at light heavyweight.
Pereira makes his light heavyweight debut later tonight at UFC 291 against former division champ Jan Blachowicz. While the focus of the card is the main event between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, gauging where Pereira stands as a light heavyweight will be a fascinating aspect of the night.
“I was already told if I win this fight, I’ll be fighting for the light heavyweight belt,” says Pereira, speaking through a translator. “It’s time to go get another belt.”
At first glance, it may seem odd that Pereira (7-2) would be so quick to leave the middleweight division. He ran through opponents, even defeating Israel Adesanya, giving him his first-ever loss as a middleweight.
Adesanya knocked out Pereira in April to regain the title, but there is no trilogy bout scheduled for the cage. Instead, the decision was made to move Pereira to a weight class that is much closer to his natural body weight.
“The 205-pound weight limit is better for my health,” says Pereira. “I don’t have to focus as much on the weight cut. I can focus more on my performance now, which is better for me.
“So no hard feelings about not fighting Israel again. My body needed this break from all those weight cuts.”
The 291 card is phenomenal, and it also includes Stephen Thompson-Michael Pereira, Tony Ferguson-Bobby Green, and Kevin Holland-Michael Chiesa. But the co-main will certainly be worth watching, and Pereira intends to prove that his power will still be a factor at a higher weight class.
“I was stronger than everybody in middleweight, and now I’ll have even more power at light heavyweight,” says Pereira. “I’m ready for whatever he brings. I’m ready to win.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
