Alex Pereira Next Opponent: UFC Veteran Michael Bisping Suggests ‘Logical’ Match-Up for Brazilian Champion

Michael Bisping tried to analyze the future of Alex Pereira when, seemingly, he has conquered everything in the UFC. ‘Poatan’ successfully defended his light-heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300. The 36-year-old was in control of the fight and secured a first-round finish with a deadly hook. Looking at the manner in which he shrugged off a former champion in Jamahal Hill, Pereira has surely legitimized himself as an UFC legend. This leads to the question, who will he fight next?

Recently, the former UFC middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, weighed in on this question. According to him, the light-heavyweight champion should face Magomed Ankalaev next. He substantiated his opinion by arguing that the fighting style of the prospect may pose some threat to the champion and that makes the bout intriguing. Bisping said,

“The logical match-up should be Magomed Ankalaev. He is a man that is going through the entire division. He only got one loss on his record to Paul Craig in a very stunning fashion. You know, Magomed Ankalaev is a terrible match-up for him as well stylistically.”

Indeed, given the fact that the champion is predominantly a kickboxer, a fight against Ankalaev will test his ability on the ground. Boasting of an impeccable 19-1-1 record, Ankalaev has been defeated only once back in 2018. On his way to the top, the 31-year-old has bulldozed the likes of Johnny Walker and Anthony Smith. With an average takedown of 1.02 per 15 minutes, Ankalaev does look like the perfect match up for ‘Poatan’. However, Pereira himself has revealed plans of his own going forward in the UFC.

What is next for Alex Pereira?

Alex Pereira wants to make a quick turnaround and has a wish. According to him, he wants his next fight to be in his home country, Brazil. Moreover, the 36-year-old explicitly said that he wanted to come back to the cage in the month of May itself and teased moving up to the heavyweight division. Reflecting on the same, in the post-fight interview, Pereira said,

“I said Rio de Janeiro, I’m there, available. I want to fight in front of these people and the Brazilians want to see me fight, put on a show. I didn’t see the other fights, but everyone is saying the event was a success. I closed it with a flourish and I think everyone liked it, so, for sure, people want to see me fight again and quickly. I would like to do that.”

Well, his claims of making a quick turnaround are justified as Pereira walked out of his championship bout unscathed. Unfortunately, the UFC head honcho, Dana White, did not seem to approve of Alex Pereira’s ambitions of moving up to heavyweight. The fight against Jamahal Hill was the Brazilian’s only title defense so far. Thus, the UFC would probably want him to defend his title for a couple of more times before coming up with an alternate plan.

Post Edited By: Debmallya Chakraborty

Alex Pereira Jamahal Hill

About the author

Harddit Bedi

Harddit Bedi is a UFC writer at The SportsRush. His love for the sport brew after witnessing Conor “Notorious” McGregor redefine limitations by crossing over to face Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather and since then he has been obsessed. His love for the world of combat is not confined to the capacity of a spectator but also an athlete in his own right. He has competed in several boxing matches in inter-university tournaments, proving that he lives the life of a Martial Artist. Moreover, he is not confined in that capacity as he amalgamate his love for fighting and writing by becoming a sports journalist. With over 2 and a half years of experience, he has reported over 1500 articles. Safe to say, he is as passionate as one can get about combat sports.

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