UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has expressed interest in facing Oleksandr Uysk in the ring.
Over the last year or so, Pereira has made it incredibly clear that he wants the opportunity to crossover and step into the boxing ring. The Brazilian wants to face former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. For his part, ‘The Cat’ is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Tyson Fury in December, his second win in a row over ‘The Gypsy King’.
“I don’t know, I think anything is possible. It’s something I can’t plan, but it is something I would really like to do.”
“That’s something that I really want,” Pereira told the Jaxxon Podcast via a Portuguese translator. “I’m under contract with the UFC. We know [Conor] McGregor did it. I don’t know how I would, but someday, I would really like to do it.”
Pereira has had previous experience with boxing as he used to be Glory kickboxing champion in two divisions before transitioning to MMA. The fighter is eager to jump into the boxing scene and try his hand at it. He believes he will excel as he has in other combat sports.
“I’m the champ. I would like to fight the champ. I think it’s a very good fight. Personally, I love boxing. And I see some people talking, ‘Oh, if it were pure boxing, he would be lost’. Man, when you talk pure boxing, I feel great. I think I could fight these guys out there. I’ve already done some sparring with experienced guys, Plinio [Cruz, his coach] knows it, and they’re winning everything there.”
The 2012 Olympic gold medalist boxer heavyweight Usyk is one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world at the moment and moving up the ranks of all-time greats following his pair of wins over Tyson Fury in 2024. Pereira agreed the match might be difficult to fulfill due to his pending contract with UFC, but the fighter is hopeful.
