LAS VEGAS – Many in MMA are dying to see the UFC light heavyweight champion Alexandre Pereira try your luck at heavyweight, but that doesn’t include the UFC CEO Dana White.
White isn’t completely opposed or says no to Pereira’s rise to heavyweight (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC), but he isn’t as enthusiastic as others. White believes there is work to be done at light heavyweight.
“It’s not that I don’t like it,” White told reporters at the UFC 303 post-fight press conference. “The guy was middleweight and then he moves up to light heavyweight. He had a few fights there and defended the title, but it’s not like this guy was in the division two years ago, and he went through everyone who’s in the division and said, ‘What’s up, what’s next?’ At least let him move up to heavyweight.
“…When you see me standing in the middle of these guys, these guys are fucking monsters. They are big guys. Imagine if they were both middleweights at the same time. It’s insane. But they look good at light heavyweight. It’s another level to move up to heavyweight. Even as big as Jon Jones is, as good as Jon Jones is, you know, when Jon Jones was moving up to heavyweight, we were like, ‘This is going to be interesting.’ It was not.
Pereira completed his second title defense last Saturday in the main fight of UFC 303. He stopped Jiri Prohazka in the second round of their championship rematch with a vicious head kick.
White wants to see Pereira defend his belt again, and when asked about a possible fight with Magomed Ankalaev, White wasn’t opposed to taking the next one.
In addition to having options for Pereira, White also has reservations about the size difference the UFC light heavyweight champion could encounter.
“If he cleaned up the division and we said, ‘There’s literally no one for this guy to fight,’ and he’s 37 years old, if he wants to move up to heavyweight — but that’s not the case,” White responded to a reporter. “You said He weighed 230 (kilos) today, right? Chuck (Liddell) and Forrest Griffin used to ride at 230 and cut it down to 205. That’s not big. Some of these heavyweights are 265, they’re getting down to 265. It’s a whole other level.”
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