LAS VEGAS – Many in MMA are dying to see UFC gentle heavyweight champion Alex Pereira strive his luck at heavyweight, however that doesn’t embrace UFC CEO Dana White.
White isn’t absolutely opposed and isn’t saying no to a transfer as much as heavyweight for Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC), however he’s not almost as thrilled as others. White believes there’s work to be accomplished at gentle heavyweight.
“It’s not that I’m not into it,” White informed reporters on the UFC 303 post-fight press convention. “The man was a middleweight after which strikes as much as gentle heavyweight. He’s had a few fights there and defended his title, nevertheless it’s not like this man has been within the division for 2 years, and he ran by way of everyone that’s within the division, and it’s like, ‘Come on, what’s subsequent? No less than let him transfer to heavyweight.’
“… Once you see me standing in the course of these guys, these guys are f*cking monsters. They’re massive guys. Think about in the event that they had been each middleweights at one time. It’s insane. However they appear good at gentle heavyweight. It’s an entire different degree going as much as heavyweight. Whilst massive as Jon Jones is, pretty much as good as Jon Jones is, , when Jon Jones was transferring as much as heavyweight, we had been like, ‘That is going to be attention-grabbing.’ It wasn’t.”
Pereira accomplished his second title protection this previous Saturday in the principle occasion of UFC 303. He stopped Jiri Prohazka within the second spherical of their championship rematch with a vicious head kick.
White desires to see Pereira defend his belt once more, and when requested a couple of potential struggle with Magomed Ankalaev, White wasn’t opposed to creating that subsequent.
On high of getting choices for Pereira, White additionally has reservations concerning the dimension distinction the UFC gentle heavyweight champion might encounter.
“If he cleaned out the division, and we had been like, ‘There’s actually no person for this man to struggle,’ and he’s 37, if he desires to maneuver as much as heavyweight – however that’s not the case,” White responded to a reporter. “You mentioned He was 230 (kilos) at the moment, proper? Chuck (Liddell) and Forrest Griffin used to stroll round at 230 and they’d reduce all the way down to 205. That’s not massive. A few of these heavyweights are 265, they’re slicing to 265. It’s only a complete different degree.”
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