Alex Pereira has already managed to captivate the MMA fans despite his break. The 2024 ‘Fighter of the Year’ has not only defended his crown 3 times this year but has also been a lifesaver for Dana White by taking two fights on short notice. The UFC light heavyweight champion is up for his first title defense of 2025 and he is in the limelight because of the rumors surrounding his next opponent. Even Dana White teased a mega fight in 2025 involving ‘Poatan’ prior to UFC Tampa. But who is Pereira’s next opponent? It should be the #1-ranked light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev right?

The Brazilian posted on X “It won’t be Ankalaev.” If we take Pereira’s words, then there are very few potential matchups left that make sense for him in that weight class. Well, one of his likely opponents could be moving up from a lower weight class in UFC middleweight phenom Khamzat Chimaev. ‘Borz’ talked about his keen interest in going up to light heavyweight and even challenged ‘Poatan’ on numerous occasions. Now what do the insiders think about this? Should Alex Pereira give Magomed Ankalaev his due, or should he gives fans what they want and welcome Chimaev to a new weight class?

UFC insiders select the best opponent for Alex Pereira

While discussing upcoming 2025 fights, ‘Big’ John McCarthy and Josh Thomson discussed who could likely be the best opponent for ‘Poatan’. Thompson spoke about the rumors of a fight between the 12-2 Brazilian and the undefeated middleweight star. He said, “Right now there are talks of Chimaev and Pereira potentially fighting at 205. And Alex came out and said, ‘Hey there I have scheduled a fight there is a fight in front of me. I’m very happy. But, guess what? It’s not Ankalaev’. It’s more of like a jab at Ankalaev. Outside of that, I can’t think of somebody that would bring the excitement, like a Chimaev would that would get Alex excited for that same fight.”

The former lightweight phenom also mentioned how Ankalaev has gotten fans excited, despite winning. According to ‘The Punk’ his fights are ‘boring’ and he has systematically won fights without show-stopping performances. ‘Big’ John agreed to this opinion and gave props to Chimaev for being in very entertaining fights, especially his last one at UFC 308 against Robert Whittaker who he handed a jaw-hurting loss.  The retired MMA referee also mentioned, “So when you’re looking at Poatan against somebody, who would you rather see him fight? Chiamev or Ankalaev? I’d rather see him fight Chimaev.”

On that note, Thomson praised Chimaev without reprimanding the 20-1 Russian light heavyweight star. This fight is great to speculate but Dana White has not confirmed or mentioned anything at all. And if Pereira fights Chimaev, it spells bad news for the light heavyweight contenders seeking to climb the ranks, in a division that has already been clogged before. But that doesn’t stop people from speculating on this exciting matchup, and Brendan Schaub also had things to say about this fight.

Brendan Schaub gave his two cents on the Pereira Vs Chimaev

Brendan Schaub connected the dots on the potential matchup between Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev. ‘Big Brown’ said on his Thiccc Boy podcast, “That makes total sense. It’s a good matchup for Khamzat; he can take him down. Can he hold him down? I don’t know, but if it’s on the feet, it’s night-night [for the Chechen]. Alex hits so hard.”  Since the fight is not finalized yet, Schaub also speculated about other opponents ‘Poatan’ could face if Chimaev was not on the line, adding, “But who could it be if it’s not Khamzat?”

Meanwhile, #1 ranked light heavyweight combatant Magomed Ankalaev insinuated that even though Alex Pereira had not yet signed the contract, he expects to fight for the UFC title in Spring 2025. “Pereira has not yet agreed to the fight. But sooner or later it will happen, I think the fight can take place in May,” stated Ankalaev during a Q&A.

He has plans to defeat Pereira twice in 2025 and confidently proclaimed the same on social media. Unfortunately for the Russian, it looks like ‘Poatan’ is not in the least bit interested in him, and will only fight him if the UFC forces him to. On top of that the Brazilian also hinted at his interest in moving up to heavyweight. He talked about his eagerness to become the first UFC fighter to hold titles in three divisions, potentially challenging either Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall. 

Even Jon Jones wants to fight the Brazilian phenom calling him a “dangerous and established” opponent, over the heavyweight division’s interim champ. However, Dana White has strongly rejected the idea of a Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira fight, stating, “No f–king way” and emphasizing the substantial size difference between the two. So in this scenario, do you think Dana White will announce a 2025 fight for Pereira against Chimaev, or Ankalaev?