Alex Pereira back to middleweight after UFC 293? Fighter, Dana White on same wavelength
SYDNEY – Alex Pereira and UFC president Dana White seem to be on the same page as far as which division “Poatan” belongs in.
Following the conclusion of the UFC 293 main event Saturday in Sydney, Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) indicated he’s no longer pursuing a middleweight return.
“Seems like my plans to go down one more time to middleweight ran out…,” Pereira wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Seems like my plans to go down one more time to Middleweight ran out…
— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) September 10, 2023
Whether it’s his opponent-turned-training partner Sean Strickland holding the 185-pound title or rival Israel Adesanya no longer having the gold he wants (or some combination of the two), Pereira didn’t expand on his reasoning for sticking at 205 pounds. That said, UFC president Dana White’s thought line runs parallel.
“I don’t think so,” White told reporters including MMA Junkie at a post-fight news conference when asked about Pereira moving back down. “I think he’ll stay at light heavyweight, you know? I don’t know, but I don’t think so. I don’t see him cutting back down again. That’s a lot of weight to cut. That guy’s a monster.”
Pereira, 36, is likely one of the frontrunners to compete for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. A championship bout vs. Jiri Prochazka is rumored to happen at UFC 296 in December, though there has been no official announcement. Pereira moved up to light heavyweight in mid-2023 after he lost the middleweight title to Adesanya. He defeated Jan Blachowicz by split decision in his divisional debut in July.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.