As fans are still recovering from UFC 307, which featured the headline event between UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and ‘Nak Muay’ Khalil Rountree Jr., the assumption that Pereira would go into a long hibernation after carrying the UFC on his shoulders this year has proven wrong. ‘Poatan’ remains hungry for more after winning two divisional belts, akin to Thanos collecting Infinity Stones for his gauntlet.
Now, ‘Poatan’ has set his sights on the heavyweight division. He recently posted a cryptic message on Instagram alongside a picture featuring interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in the background. The caption read, “This is one of my favorite moments before a fight.” This message reached Aspinall, who subsequently shared the picture on his Instagram story, affirming Pereira’s offer with simple emojis: “🤝👀.”
View this post on Instagram
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What’s your perspective on:
Can Alex Pereira conquer the heavyweight division, or is he biting off more than he can chew?
Have an interesting take?
It seems that ‘Poatan’ is finally on the brink of giving the fight fans what they want. Previously, during the UFC 307 post-match conference, the Brazilian confirmed the feasibility of making weight as a 205fer and expressed his aspirations of cleaning out the division. Pereira explained,
“For me to go to a lower weight class, it would take some time and preparation. Going to a higher-weight class also requires more preparation. So right now, light heavyweight is perfect.” This decision certainly earned a polarizing reaction from the MMA community as many of them were hoping for ‘Poatan’ to go after a third division belt and make history.But now it seems that the Brazilian is set to step out of his comfort zone and take the gamble to register himself in the annals of all-time MMA greats. Interestingly, UFC legend
Chael Sonnen foresaw a major heavyweight fight on the horizon.Chael Sonnen predicted Alex Pereira vs. Tom Aspinall long before!
The person most interested in Alex Pereira’s ongoing career these days is none other than fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen. Recently, before Alex Pereira’s cryptic post to Tom Aspinall, ‘The Bad Guy’ made a daring prediction. Despite some of his previous predictions not materializing, no one is disregarding Sonnen’s insights just yet. This time, it appears he might have knocked it out of the park with his verbal shenanigans.
Following the successful conclusion of UFC 307, Sonnen hopped onto his YouTube channel to break down the potential Alex Pereira vs. Tom Aspinall showdown, stating, “Stay with me on this because, as the talk goes, Aspinall is locked in for November. The key takeaway here isn’t whether Jones or Stipe will fight him. What matters is that if Pereira gets through Rountree quickly and unscathed, he will head to the Garden to take on Aspinall. As for Stipe and Jones, they’re being considered for Los Angeles in January.”
What are your thoughts on this dream matchup? What do you think about Alex Pereira moving up to the heavyweight division? Would you like him to stay in the same division, or do you think moving to heavyweight is right for him? Drop your opinion below.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Have something to say?
Let the world know your perspective.
Debate
Can Alex Pereira conquer the heavyweight division, or is he biting off more than he can chew?