Alex Pereira will not be moving up to heavyweight for his next fight.
Sources on Friday told Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani the current plan for the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion is a title defense against top 205-pound contender Magomed Ankalaev next, although neither a date for it nor the fight itself has been finalized.
Erroneous reporting this past week indicated Pereira would be moving up in weight next and potentially fighting top heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov.
Sources told Helwani that if and when a heavyweight move does happen, Pereira will first require at least six months of lead time to properly adjust to the new division.
Pereira, 37, is Uncrowned’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and one of the biggest stars in the current MMA landscape. The former two-division GLORY Kickboxing champion was one of 2024’s top fighters, narrowly missing out on Fighter of the Year honors after going 3-0 with three knockouts in a trio of successful title defenses over Jamahal Hill, Jiří Procházka and Khalil Rountree Jr.
Also a former UFC middleweight champion, Pereira (12-2) has built a Hall of Fame résumé in less than four years under the UFC umbrella — a stunning feat for the native of Sao Paulo.
Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) is unbeaten over his past 13 UFC appearances but has been unable to secure a second title shot after fighting to a majority draw against Jan Blachowicz in a vacant title bout in 2022.
Anklaev, 32, won both of his fights against fellow light heavyweight contenders in 2024, scoring a knockout of Johnny Walker followed by a decision over Aleksandar Rakić.
