Should Alex Pereira Move to Light Heavyweight?
At UFC 287, Alex Pereira got the worst outcome imaginable. Pereira had a chance to pick up his second MMA win over Israel Adesanya and defend the UFC middleweight title. Instead, he was knocked out cold, and Adesanya is not interested in a trilogy. Now, the former middleweight is left to figure out where his career goes from here. Is a move up to light heavyweight the answer?
The weight cut
It has been well documented that Pereira cuts a ton of weight to make the middleweight limit. A move to light heavyweight could alleviate that issue. It is also worth noting that he would not be a small light heavyweight. At this point, it is pretty clear that Pereira is a traditionally sized light heavyweight. That is not to shame him for making the cut to middleweight, but he can stop making that cut now.
Why was Pereira a middleweight?
One of the other important aspects of this story is that Pereira was fighting at middleweight for two reasons. The first is because his training partner and mentor Glover Teixeira was fighting at light heavyweight and was deeply ingrained in the division’s title picture. The other is so that he could fight Adesanya. Now, Teixeira is retired and Adesanya does not want the trilogy fight. The two reasons that he was making the brutal weight cut to middleweight are gone.
Pereira’s Skills
The move to light heavyweight should not be an issue for Pereira. The light heavyweight and middleweight divisions are different in several regards, but Pereira’s skill set seamlessly fits the UFC light heavyweight division. Most importantly, he has the power that is needed at light heavyweight. In that division, it is crucial that you have fight-ending power. Pereira has that and more.
You could make the case that Pereira’s chin could struggle at the higher weight class, but that may not be true. The aforementioned weight cut definitely could have affected his ability to take a shot. The jury is out on that. It should not prevent him from switching divisions, though.
Stylistically, Pereira fairs much better against the light heavyweights in comparison to the middleweights. The light heavyweight division is packed with primary strikers like champion Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka. Meanwhile, middleweights like Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori would likely look to out-grapple Pereira.
Pereira was a light heavyweight champion in Glory Kickboxing too. This not would be the first time he fought at light heavyweight. Additionally, Glory’s light heavyweight division has a limit of 209 pounds while the UFC has a 205-pound limit. In this case, he would not even be competing at his highest weight.
Could he Get a Title Fight?
If Pereira moves up to light heavyweight he could be given an immediate title fight. The reasoning here is mostly promotion based. After his rivalry with Adesanya, Pereira is now a massive name in the MMA world. Plus, he already has a storyline for a fight against Hill. After Hill beat Teixeira, Pereira stared Hill down in the cage which started to build hype for a potential matchup. It would be so easy for the UFC to promote this fight as Pereira attempting to avenge Teixeira’s loss to Hill. It is almost too easy.
The light heavyweight division could use a title challenger at the moment too. At the moment, former champion Prochazka seems like the best option, but he could use the extra time to recover from his shoulder injury. If Hill and Pereira fight, Prochazka could slide in and fight the winner. Outside of that, the options are not great. Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz recently fought to a draw. Not only did it put the light heavyweight division in shambles, but it also makes it hard to give either fighter a title shot until they get back in the win column.
The Verdict
I did not do a great job of keeping this suspenseful. The verdict is clear and Alex Pereira should move up a division and test his luck at light heavyweight. What is not to like? He could stop cutting weight, his skills transfer, and he may end up in a title fight. It makes sense to me.
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