Alex Pereira is moving to light heavyweight
Alex Pereira lost by knockout to Israel Adesanya, but he still looked like one of the best strikers in the world prior to the stoppage. The fight was very competitive before the stoppage, with Pereira landing several leg kicks that affected Adesanya. For years, Adesanya was levels above his opponents in the striking realm, but that wasn’t the case against Pereira. From a technical standpoint, these two are the best pure strikers in the UFC, and we’ve seen that in their last two fights.
Pereira announced on Wednesday that he’ll be taking his talents to the light heavyweight division, confirming that his next fight will be at 205 pounds. Given what he’s already accomplished, it’s safe to assume that he doesn’t need to do much to compete for the light heavyweight title. Pereira has already been going back and forth with light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, who is welcoming a fight against Pereira. This fight already has a built-in storyline, as Pereira would be moving up to avenge Glover Teixeira‘s loss to Hill. Former champion Jiri Prochazka is guaranteed to get a title shot when he returns from injury, but the timetable for his return isn’t clear yet. If Hill wants a big fight in between, Pereira is an option. Even if Pereira doesn’t receive an immediate title shot, the division has a lot of interesting options for him, including Jan Blachowicz, Khalil Rountree, and the winner of Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker.
What’s next for Israel Adesanya?
Now that Pereira has announced that he’s moving up to the light heavyweight division, talks of a trilogy fight between him and Adesanya are on pause. At the UFC 287 press conference, Adesanya told the media that he wants new opponents. The problem for Adesanya is that he’s already defeated everyone in the top 5 of his division, including Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori twice. The highest-ranked fighter that Adesanya hasn’t fought is Dricus Du Plessis, who’s ranked No. 6 in the middleweight rankings.
Du Plessis is a fighter that brings action. He’s been competing in MMA for 10 years and has only been to a decision once in 21 professional fights. He’s currently on a seven-fight winning streak and has finished Darren Till and Derek Brunson in back-to-back fights. He’s already on Adesanya’s radar as he’s claimed that he’ll become the first African-residing champion in UFC history, which didn’t sit too well with Adesanya, who said he wants to drag DDP’s carcass across South Africa. Given the landscape of the division, don’t be surprised if DDP gets fast-tracked to a title shot if Adesanya does indeed want to fight new opponents.
Quick Hits
- Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul is official for August 5.
- Shane Burgos is making his PFL debut tonight.
- Sean O’Malley suggests that Raul Rosas Jr. should take two years off to train.
- Cynthia Calvillo has been released by the UFC.
- Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald 2 will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
- Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña is set for UFC 289.
- Leon Edwards won’t fight in July unless he gets a huge payday.
- Khabib Nurmagomedov lists Jon Jones and Fedor Emelianenko as the greatest of all time.
- Henry Cejudo believes Kelvin Gastelum could be champion if he dropped to 170 pounds.
- Dana White plans on going after the media if they instigate fights at press conferences.
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