MMA | Champion Pereira wants to heavyweight. Retaliation with the Walk? I’ll take on anyone, he says

There are several options. At the same time, immediately after the crushing scalp of the American Jamahal Hill at the UFC 300 tournament, Pereira did not hide his desire to move to the heavyweight division. In a short time, he would jump two weight categories. “If my next fight is in a long time, then of course I would prefer to defend my title. If it took too long and I wrestled at heavyweight and got some injuries, when would I defend the title? I don’t want to hold back the light heavyweight division,” he reflected on the situation in the Trocação Franca podcast.

At first, an early return to the cage was even considered, because the UFC is already going to his native Brazil on May 4. However, health problems will prevent him from participating, which was also confirmed by his manager. “I imagined the best case scenario, but I have two broken toes. Neither leg is at its best. It’s complicated,” sighed the Sao Paulo native. “It was ideal to fight at heavyweight at UFC 301 and then give someone the opportunity to fight for the belt in the light heavyweight division. That was my initial thought,” he explained.

There are a lot of rumors about a potential challenger in the category up to 93 kg. Jiří Procházka has the best position in the ranking, whom Pereira already beat last November. The Brazilian would therefore prefer to compete with the Russian raider Magomed Ankalaev. For example, there is an October tournament in Abu Dhabi, which was proposed by a Dagestani.

“I don’t want to fight until the end of the year, I want to fight earlier. Maybe it just shows he won’t be ready. I don’t know why he said that. The guy is just tricky,” smiled Pereira, who has not ruled out a clash with heavyweight Tom Aspinall, the interim champion. But he will leave the final word to the UFC management and its managers.

“I’m here to fight and I don’t care about other things. If I have to fight, I will. I am like a fighting cock, you put another cock in front of me and we will fight. But we have to see what will be best for my career. I’m open to a match with anyone, but I’m not the one who decides,” he realizes.

If it does take a long time, there is a chance that Pereira would show up again at the November event in New York’s Madison Square Garden, where he was successful in both of his previous title fights. “It would make sense,” agrees Pereira, who lives and trains in nearby Danbury. “If the UFC is really going to New York, I have no problem waiting another month and fighting ‘at home’.”

But the team around the Czech striker Procházka is clear, they want the shortest possible path to the title. An immediate rematch with the Brazilian executioner would be ideal. “We’ll see how it all comes together. Of course we’ll want to go straight into the title game, which we’ll try to push for. Jiří is the number one in the division and should be a challenger in the next duel,” says Martin Karaivanov, Procházk’s coach and manager, for Sport.cz. One option is still out of the game, namely the recent title challenger American Jamahal Hill, who has an arranged clash with division eight Khalil Rountree Jr.

According to many, the best solution would be Procházk’s clash with Ankalaev for the title challenger position. “I don’t know what the UFC’s relationship is with Ankalaev, but we will want to take the shortest route to the title. But if there is no will from the other side, I mean from Pereira’s team, then we will have to deal with it, because we don’t want another match in maybe a year. It is necessary to put it all together so that it makes sense,” concludes Karaivanov.