Alex “Poatan” Pereira has done what he set out to do in the light heavyweight division, and it appears the fighter is ready for a new challenge.
Alex Pereira has achieved remarkable success throughout his career, capturing UFC titles at both middleweight and light heavyweight while defeating elite fighters such as Magomed Ankalaev, Khalil Rountree Jr., and Nigeria’s own Israel Adesanya, among others. Now, Pereira is taking his talents to the heavyweight division, where he is scheduled to face Ciryl Gane at the UFC White House Freedom card.
Pereira has long been vocal about his desire to move up to heavyweight. He first hinted at the possibility in 2025 when he spoke about a potential fight with heavyweight star Jon Jones. Unfortunately, that matchup never materialized due to Jones’ refusal to face heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall before ultimately retiring.
Despite that disappointment, the Brazilian remains determined to pursue heavyweight gold. He was initially expected to face Aspinall, but with the champion still recovering from an eye injury, the opportunity instead opened up for a clash with Gane.
In a recent interview, Pereira discussed his move to heavyweight, why the timing feels right, and what he expects to weigh on fight night.
“Well, I think the right moment is now,” Pereira told Paramount about the timing of his move to heavyweight. “At certain points before, we could have moved up to heavyweight, but it would have felt a bit forced. Not now. Now it’s happening very naturally, in a perfect fight.
“This fight was supposed to happen earlier, at the first event of the year, but for a few reasons it didn’t happen. Now this has become a big moment.”
When discussing his expected weight for the fight, Pereira said:
“Around 242 pounds. Not too heavy. I was heavier before, though. I got up to 258 pounds and then gradually started cutting back down.”
He also reflected on the challenges of managing his weight throughout his UFC career.
“I was at 242 pounds, then I dropped to 205 pounds. Now doing the math is difficult.”
“It helps me a lot because of my diet. I don’t have that concern anymore. When I was a middleweight, it was much more complicated. About a month before the fight, I had to cut back heavily on food and sometimes felt weaker.
“The weight cut was pretty aggressive. Now I don’t have that concern anymore, and for me, that’s very important.”
Now that he’s competing at heavyweight, Pereira can focus entirely on preparing for his showdown with Ciryl Gane rather than worrying about a difficult weight cut. The former two-division champion hopes the move will bring him one step closer to adding heavyweight gold to his already impressive legacy.
