Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has been one of the hottest topics of conversation in mixed martial arts. After an amazing 2024, Pereira’s star has grown, and his next fight is of major interest to most in the MMA community.
A rumored move to heavyweight to face Alexander Volkov is being refuted by longtime combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani.
According to sources referenced by Helwani, Pereira isn’t planning a move to heavyweight anytime soon. Those sources say the plan is for Pereira to fight Magomed Ankalaev, the No. 1 contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
The original report related to Volkov suggested he would get the first crack at Pereira in the heavyweight division because many feel he was robbed in his last fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 310.
Perhaps Volkov will be repaid at another time in another situation.
Helwani is among the most reliable people in our space, so most are inclined to trust his reports. Because of the confidence in Helwani’s reporting, rather than questioning whether Pereira will face Ankalaev, we’ll instead ask how it can happen considering the circumstances.
Pereira has said he plans to return in March, which suggests March 8 at UFC 313 in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, if that is the date, Ankalaev will be wildly inconvenienced during his training.
Ankalaev is Muslim, and if the fight is on March 8, his training camp will run through Ramadan. This means he will be fasting and could be physically compromised as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career.
While that is the case, it is possible Ankalaev has been given an ultimatum by Pereira and/or the UFC to fight in March. If he does not take the fight in March, Pereira could elect to face someone else, which would push Ankalaev’s title shot later in the year.
The 32-year-old last fought in October when he won a unanimous decision over Aleksandr Rakic. There’s no question he is the most deserving challenger for Pereira’s title, but whether he’ll be ready to perform at the top of his capabilities remains to be seen.
I’d expect more concrete information on Pereira’s situation in the next week or two, perhaps as early as next Saturday ahead of or during UFC 311.
What’s Next For the UFC?
The UFC is back on Saturday with UFC Vegas 101. Two fighters missed weight but every fight on the card is still happening. Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas will run it back in the main event, a rematch of their 2019 clash that the latter won via unanimous decision.
Here is a look at the card and the weigh-in results.
- Mackenzie Dern (116) vs. Amanda Ribas (116)
- Santiago Ponzinibbio (171) vs. Carlston Harris (170)
- Abdul Razak Alhassan (185.5) vs. Cesar Almeida (185.5)
- Chris Curtis (185.5) vs. Roman Kopylov (185.5)
- Christian Rodriguez (145) vs. Austin Bashi (145.5)
- Uros Medic (171) vs. Punahele Soriano (171)
- Jose Johnson (128.5)* vs. Felipe Bunes (126)
- Marco Tulio (185.5) vs. Ihor Potieria (188)*
- Thiago Moises (155.5) vs. Trey Ogden (155.5)
- Preston Parsons (171) vs. Jacobe Smith (170.5)
- Ernesta Kareckaite (126) vs. Nicolle Caliari (125.5)
- Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (205) vs. Bruno Lopes (205.5)
- Fatima Kline (116) vs. Viktoriia Dudakova (116)
- Nurullo Aliev (155.5) vs. Joe Solecki (155)
*Missed weight
