NEW YORK—Fans clamoring for Alex Pereira to move to heavyweight are going to have to wait a bit longer.
Pereira dropped the UFC light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 in March. With the heavyweight division up in the air, Jon Jones saying multiple times he’s not interested in fighting right now, and interim champ Tom Aspinall looking for an opponent, “Poatan” would be a popular choice to flip one of the UFC’s thinner divisions upside down.
That time is not now, however, as Pereira has his sights set on a fall return to avenge his loss to Ankalaev.
“Anywhere around the timeframe [of] September, October, November, for me it makes no difference, I want to fight,” Pereira told MMA Fighting at Fanatics Fest.
“My focus right now is fighting Ankalaev… get my belt back, and then we see what happens after.”
Pereira has accomplished so much in so little time that the opportunity to win a third divisional title seems like a reasonable goal and request.
Right now, Pereira hopes the heavyweight division can get moving again in an entertaining way, but he has his own boxes to check.
“Let those guys kill each other in that weight class,” Pereira said. “Right now I’m just focusing on light heavyweight.”
