Since he defended his title for the second time this year against Jiri Prochazka, Alex Pereira’s triple champion ambitions have been discussed more than Dana White has mentioned Francis Ngannou. But UFC veteran Chael Sonnen believes the likelihood of the Brazilian moving up in weight class to fight champions, Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall only actualize if Poatan faces a setback at light heavyweight.
With Pereira’s current win streak at 205 pounds, the chance of seeing him move around divisions for these blockbuster fights remains slim. That is unless he absolutely runs through the division and beats everyone ever. And going by the speed at which he returns to action, it might just be done by 2026.
However, at almost 38, Pereira isn’t a spring chicken. Before moving to the UFC, he already had a long career as a kickboxing world champion.
So, even if he runs through the light heavyweight division by 2026 as mentioned above, he will likely be a 40-year-old fighter, moving into the heavyweight with the literal GOAT and a 31-year-old who moves like a middleweight.
This is why Sonnen thinks that a loss could actually open doors for dream matchups with the giants up there.
“The quickest way you’re going to get Pereira and Aspinall together or Pereira and Jon Jones together, the quickest way, is not by Pereira continuing to clear out his division. If he continues to clear it you yes, you could eventually get there, but that road is way longer. If Pereira is to lose at light heavyweight, he is in there with Aspinall and Jones tomorrow.
The UFC veteran also cites the example of how Poatan moved to light heavyweight to begin with. The Brazilian started his UFC career at middleweight and became a champion by defeating Israel Adesanya.
He even defended the title against Sean Strickland. It was only when Adesanya KO’d him at UFC 287 that the Brazilian moved up in weight class.
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But the way things are going right now, Pereira can’t stop winning. Although, winning has its own costs.
The Price of Winning against Khalil Rountree Jr.
Pereira may have defended his light heavyweight title with a knockout over Rountree at UFC 307 last month, but he’s still feeling the impact of that victory.
During an appearance on the Brazilian podcast *Podpah*, Pereira revealed that his hand has been bothering him since that October 5 bout in Salt Lake City.
“In the fourth round, I was throwing jabs, and my hand was killing me…“I thought, ‘My hand must be broken.’ It still hurts if I press here.”
Reflecting on the fight, he further admitted, “I knew the jabs were working, but hitting his forehead really hurt”.
So no, he’s not coming back for the 4th fight of the year to replace the Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov card at UFC 310. 3 successful title defenses a year is already insane enough as it is.
