Alex Pereira next fight: Poatan eyes heavyweight title at UFC 301 amid Tom Aspinall rumors
Associated PressAlex Pereira’s explosive UFC 300 win over Jamahal Hill has left fans wanting more from ‘Poatan’. The Brazilian has made no secret of his desire for his next fight to be in his home country, with UFC 301 taking place in Brazil, as a heavyweight clash against Tom Aspinall would see him become the first fighter to hold titles across three weight classes.
Pereira returned to the Octagon in style with a first round knockout over Hill at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. The headline fight did not disappoint as Pereira made the most of his time in the spotlight thanks to a devastating left hook, living up to his ‘stone hand’ nickname.
The anticipation could not be higher for Pereira’s next fight, here is all you need to know about who he could be facing next.
Contents
- Alex Pereira vs Tom Aspinall
- Keeping the Israel Adesanya rivalry alive
- A light-heavyweight showdown vs Magomed Ankalaev
- Alex Pereira record
Alex Pereira vs Tom Aspinall
If Pereira wants to become the first fighter in the promotion’s history to hold three titles across three weight classes – there could not be a more statement way to do so than to defeat Aspinall.
If fans thought the sport could not get any better after a mouthwatering UFC 300 card, a showdown between Pereira and Aspinall would simply be colossal.
Following Pereira’s savage knockout of Hill in the main event, Aspinall posted a video of himself staring at Pereira during the Brazilian’s walk to the Octagon – showing clear intentions as to who he wants to face next.
Pereira said after his victory over Hill that he wants to fight in Brazil next month at UFC 301, calling for a heavyweight fight to be made. Although he did not single out Aspinall by name, and the timings might just be too tight to make the bout work, watch this space for what could be an epic fight for the sport.
“I’m injury free,” Pereira said during his post-fight interview. “I want to fight in Brazil. I know it’s a short time, but let’s see what happens … I know there needs to be promotion for a title fight, so I don’t care, let me do a fight at heavyweight [at UFC 301].”
Keeping the Israel Adesanya rivalry alive
Pereira and Adesanya have a score to settle. They have currently fought each other in the Octagon twice, with each of the pair winning once and losing once.
Adesanya won the last time the pair met at UFC 287, avenging his defeat to Pereira at UFC 281 just five months prior.
Their rivalry runs deeper though, with Pereira beating Adesanya twice under kickboxing rules prior to their MMA bouts.
Although Adesanya has said that their saga is over, with Dana White showing he isn’t afraid to dig deeper into his pockets to hype up an event, it would be premature to rule another fight at light-heavyweight out of the equation.
“I don’t keep score I settle them,” Adesanya said after he beat Pereira in 2023. “Now it’s settled. Look, I gave him a fast-track to the belt, I could have said ‘Nah, who has he fought?’ He fought one top five guy but nah, he did well, fought some alright guys and beat f***ing Strickland.
“I was like ‘fine there’s no one else’, I was looking for that challenge, the guy that beat me in kickboxing, that’s why I took that fight. The rematch? I got the immediate rematch because of what I’ve done in this game…
“I did the hard yards and I earned my f***ing rematch, now he’s got to do the hard yards if he wants to do that and I don’t think he’s going to.”
A light-heavyweight showdown vs Magomed Ankalaev
Pereira could face a very different challenge if he was to give Magomed Ankalaev a shot at the light-heavyweight title.
Ankalaev’s grappling would present a very different challenge for the man known for his ‘stone hand’, with the Russian claiming that Poatan doesn’t have a chin.
It’s hard to argue that Jiri Prochazka deserves a shot at the title following his defeat to Pereira last November, so if the Brazilian is to remain in the same weight class and defend his title then a bout with Ankalaev does make sense.
Admittedly it might not be the most eye-catching fight the sport has ever seen, but Ankalaev is undefeated in his last 12 fights. A right hook-uppercut knockout against Johnny Walker was the latest collection to add to his growing highlight reel.
Alex Pereira record
Pereira’s record stands at 10 wins and two defeats across his 12 fights in the UFC.
As well as Hill, the 36-year-old has beaten the likes of Jiri Prochazka, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya during his rise to UFC stardom.
