Dana White: "He was a middleweight" - Dana White drops blunt message on Alex Pereira’s heavyweight plans post UFC 320

Alex Pereira defeated Magomed Ankalaev in his rematch at UFC 320 to become a two-time light heavyweight champion. In the aftermath, Pereira expressed his interest in a potential move up to the heavyweight division. However, UFC head honcho Dana White appears to have different plans.

Pereira has long expressed his desire to become a three-weight champion and potentially fight Jon Jones for the heavyweight title. During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Pereira stated that he had a speech prepared but decided to set it aside out of respect for the tragedy that had struck Jones’ family.

During the post-fight press conference, 'Poatan' made it clear that he intends to move up in weight. However, White was not completely sold out on the idea, as he believes that Pereira still has great matchups available in the 205-pound division. When asked about his reservations about allowing Pereira to move up to heavyweight, White said:

"Probably that he was a middleweight. He was a middleweight, and he's going to jump up two weight classes in the UFC. It's not like jumping up two weight classes in boxing. It's a big jump. And it's not that I have any reservations about him, I mean, the guy is in a division where there are still interesting fights. I don't know. And I like the guy so much, we'll see."

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White continued:

"We'll have to talk about it. Unless he wants to retire, I just don't see why throwing him in at heavyweight makes any sense, other than I just end up saying, he wants to do it so bad, I'll just say yes. I don't know."

Check out Dana White's comments about Alex Pereira below (4:02):

Dana White reacts to Alex Pereira suffering a foot injury at UFC 320

Alex Pereira was seen adjusting his toe following his bout against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, sparking speculation of a potential break or dislocation. Pereira was later seen wearing a walking boot and shared that he injured his toe while throwing a leg kick.

During the post-fight presser, White stated that he believed 'Poatan' either broke or dislocated his toe.

"[Pereira] definitely dislocated or broke his toes or something. I don't know that for a fact, but I saw what all of you saw, and it definitely looked like he f*ck*d his toes up."

About the author

Shehryar Burzin Edibam covers MMA and boxing for Sportskeeda. He began training in MMA in 2021 after watching Conor McGregor’s epic duel with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. That fight made Shehryar delve deeper into the sport and explore the fascinating stories of its athletes.

Shehryar's passion for all things MMA enables him to share insightful details and thrilling narratives of the sport with a wider audience.

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