Pereira is the reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, but it appears his interest is in a heavyweight showdown. “Poatan” had been on the table for a dream fight against Jon Jones at the UFC White House event. Those hopes may have been dashed as Pereira recently claimed he will not fight on the card.
During a recent edition of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Rogan said there is an interesting rumor about Pereira’s next fight (via MMA Junkie).
“There’s a lot of talk now about him fighting in the heavyweight division,” Rogan said of Pereira on a recent episode of his “Joe Rogan Experience.” “There’s a lot of talk about him, maybe even about fighting Ciryl Gane. I don’t know how much is true, I haven’t talked to Dana (White) about it. But it’s not an illogical move.”
“He weighs 240 pounds now, over 240 pounds. Make no mistake, that guy can knock out heavyweights. There’s no doubt about that. He hits harder than anyone they’ve ever recorded.”
Pereira regained the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship after stopping Magomed Ankalaev in their rematch in October. After the fight, “Poatan” led a moment of silence in honor of Jones’ late brother Arthur Jones, a former NFL player for the Baltimore Ravens. During the post-fight press conference, Pereira admitted that his original plan was to summon ‘Bones’ before news of Arthur’s death surfaced.
UFC CEO Dana White told reporters he preferred Pereira pay £205 to take care of some unfinished business. Still, White didn’t completely rule out “Poatan’s” desire to fight at heavyweight, considering the number of times the light heavyweight champion has made appearances when the UFC needed him.
BJPenn.com will keep you updated on what’s next for Pereira as more details become available.
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