Where does Alex Pereira go from here? Exploring his post-UFC Freedom 250 options
Alex Pereira dared to be great at UFC Freedom 250, but his crack at a heavyweight title ended in disaster, so he must now go back to the drawing board.
Alex Pereira had the chance to immortalize himself at UFC Freedom 250. He faced Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event, and a win would have crowned him the UFC's first-ever three-division champion. Unfortunately for 'Poatan,' the fight didn't go according to plan and he was outclassed and TKO'd in under two minutes by'Bon Gamin.' So what, if anything, can he do moving forward? Does he stay at heavyweight or move back down?
Alex Pereira's choices are limited
Age is a factor when it comes to weight cutting, with most fighters moving up to heavier divisions as they age to give their bodies an easier time. Alex Pereira is turns 39 years old on July 7, and to further complicate matters, he entered his UFC Freedom 250 bout with Ciryl Gane at 251 pounds. That's three pounds heavier than Gane's own 248-pound mark. The likelihood that he will diet back down to light heavyweight after comitting so strongly to heavyweight is low. So, if he is to remain at heavyweight, he has very few options. The first is an immediate rematch against Gane, which Pereira has already called for.
GANE WITH MASSIVE MOMENT IN ROUND TWO 🇫🇷😱 #UFCWhiteHouse
[ Title fights presented by @Cryptocom ] pic.twitter.com/CkkqfWO6OD
After his TKO loss to Gane, he expressed outrage over Herb Dean's officiating. Gane, who has drawn controversy for his history of low blows, eye pokes, and shots to the back of the head, all of which he maintains are accidental, landed a few questionable shots to the back of Pereira's head. In response, Pereira criticized Dean, stating that he had expressed concerns over Gane's habits backstage before the fight. Unfortunately, he feels that Dean failed him as a referee and has claimed that he will never again agree to the latter officiating one of his fights. He has also called for a rematch with Gane, even threatening to appeal the result of the bout, which has rarely yielded positive results.
A rematch would mean an interim heavyweight title defense for Gane, which wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility. Tom Aspinall, the undisputed heavyweight champion, has not yet been cleared to fight, and if Gane is eager to get back in the cage, a rematch with Pereira wouldn't be completely out of the question. But if not Gane, then Pereira could face the heavyweight division's biggest trash talker in Josh Hokit, who took aim at 'Poatan' at the UFC Freedom 250 pre-fight press conference, then further antagonized him during fight week. Hokit himself has expressed an interest in facing Pereira, but that interest does not seem mutual. Given Pereira's position as a massive star, the only other opponent he could face is Aspinall himself.
However, it is extremely unlikely for Pereira to face Aspinall after just losing to Gane for the interim title, with the exception of a catastrophic injury sidelining the latter. With how low profile every other heavyweight is, Pereira's options aren't plentiful. If not Gane, Hokit, or an improbable Aspinall fight, his only other choice is retirement, which he has teased, having recently claimed that the back-of-the-head shots from Gane have left him fearful of fighting again. While his legacy is secure, retiring on such a sour note would be unbecoming of a fighter of his stature.
