Alex Pereira successfully defended his light heavyweight title at UFC 300 with a stunning first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill.
Following his victory, ‘Poatan’ hinted at a potential move to the heavyweight division, aiming to secure a title in a third weight class. Kamaru Usman, the former welterweight champion, recently shared his thoughts on this possibility during his Pound 4 Pound podcast.
Kamaru Usman warns UFC heavyweights
Speaking about Pereira’s potential to compete at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Usman expressed strong support for the light heavyweight champion’s prospects across multiple divisions. He said,
“I think why not let him fight [at UFC 301] in Rio [de Janeiro], in Brazil, but as far as moving up, I think everybody in that middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight division are in trouble when they fight a guy like Alex Pereira.”
Kamaru Usman warns the heavyweight division about Alex Pereira’s power:
“Everybody in that middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight division are in trouble when they fight a guy like Alex Pereira.
If you don’t take the path of least resistance and you let him actually… pic.twitter.com/2qXpE5ORTm
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 21, 2024
Usman elaborated on the challenges Pereira would pose to other fighters, particularly at heavyweight, acknowledging the capabilities of Tom Aspinall but also noting Pereira’s significant advantages.
While Pereira has two losses in his MMA career, only Israel Adesanya has proven capable of competing with him in striking. Pereira was submitted in his professional debut, but his grappling skills have substantially improved over the years. It is yet to be determined if he will pursue the heavyweight title challenge.
On the other hand, Magomed Ankalaev ranked No.2 in the light heavyweight division, has thrown down the gauntlet, predicting a first-round knockout against Pereira. After the knockout at UFC 300, Ankalaev tweeted a challenge to Pereira, aiming for a title fight at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. His tweet read:
“@AlexPereiraUFC congratulation, I will stop in the first round by knockout @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 the man doesn’t have a chin.” He further emphasized his desire for this matchup with a follow-up tweet calling for the fight in Abu Dhabi.
Ankalaev’s strategy appears to be focused on standing and trading with Pereira, despite his significant wrestling advantage, which might not be the wisest approach against a striker of Pereira’s caliber.
This approach suggests that Ankalaev wants to prove he can outstrike Pereira, though leveraging his wrestling skills could be a more effective strategy against ‘Poatan’.
