Former two-division UFC champion Alex “Poatan” Pereira is keeping his historic title ambitions alive. The Brazilian knockout artist is banking on an immediate heavyweight rematch with Ciryl Gane, though he remains open to dropping back down to the light heavyweight division.
Speaking to UFC Brasil, Pereira shared his mindset regarding his fighting future: “I think this fight makes perfect sense. I really want everything to work out; I want to win a third belt. I’d love to return to Madison Square Garden and fight Ciryl Gane. If it were entirely up to me, that would be my choice. However, I still have the option to move back down. I don’t think there’s any shame in going back. I’ve achieved a lot in the UFC, and I believe I’ve earned the right to have these options.”
After vacating his light heavyweight throne earlier this year, Pereira made a bold but ultimately unsuccessful bid for the interim heavyweight title in June, suffering a TKO loss to Gane at an event in Washington, D.C.
Now, with reports suggesting that reigning heavyweight king Tom Aspinall might vacate his title due to an extended absence from the Octagon, a heavyweight rematch between Pereira and Gane seems like a highly probable scenario. The stage could be set as soon as November 14, when the world’s premier MMA promotion returns to New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden for UFC 334.
