Alex Pereira Aims for UFC Titles in Three Weight Classes with Potential Move to Heavyweight

Alex Pereira, who used to be a UFC middleweight champ and now holds the light heavyweight title, wants to move up in weight again. He hopes to be the first UFC fighter to win titles in three different weight classes. A recent video of him sparring with Tai Tuivasa, a highly-ranked heavyweight, suggests he could do well in that division, too.

Glover Teixeira, Pereira’s longtime coach and former UFC light heavyweight champion, supports the idea of Pereira moving up to heavyweight. Teixeira mentioned that Pereira would need to adjust his diet and training regimen to gain additional mass.

Pereira currently walks around at 233 pounds, and Teixeira believes that he could increase to around 242 pounds for a heavyweight bout, which he considers an ideal weight for Pereira to maintain his performance.

Despite these ambitions, a move to the heavyweight division doesn’t seem imminent. The current UFC heavyweight division is occupied with upcoming matches, including interim champion Tom Aspinall’s rematch against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 and champion Jon Jones’s expected bout with Stipe Miocic in November at Madison Square Garden.

In the meantime, Pereira, who is 36, is likely to defend his UFC light heavyweight title in the latter half of the year, probably in a rematch against former champion Jiri Prochazka. Should Pereira win, discussions about him moving to the heavyweight division will likely intensify, especially if Jon Jones continues to express interest in facing him.