Dustin Poirier believes Alex Pereira should fight Magomed Ankalaev next to uphold integrity: "Just for the respect of the game"

Dustin Poirier has stated that he'd like to see Alex Pereira defend his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev next, rather than chase a blockbuster bout against Jon Jones. Pereira recently defended the 205-pound strap for a second time when he faced Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303.

After accepting the fight on short notice, the pair ran back their UFC 295 encounter, with the Brazilian once again silencing his doubters as he finished Prochazka in the second round.

Following his win, 'Poatan' has expressed an interest in stepping up a division to try and become the first fighter to win a belt in three different weight classes. On his radar are the likes of heavyweight champion Jon Jones and interim champ Tom Aspinall.

Whilst those potential match-ups have certainly intrigued fans, one person who isn't so sure about Alex Pereira's next move is Dustin Poirier. 'The Diamond', who recently appeared on The MMA Hour, stated that for the integrity of the sport, he'd like to see the Brazilian face the No.2 ranked Ankalaev next. He explained:

"Is this a legit sport or is this entertainment? That's what you gotta figure out. If it's a legit sport, I guess the next guy in line at 205 would be Ankalaev. You'd have to do it just for the respect of the game. But for entertaintment, Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira is the one."

Catch Poirier's comments here:

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Sean O'Malley weighs in on Alex Pereira potentially switching to boxing

Sean O'Malley has revealed that he'd be open to seeing Alex Pereira face-off against Deontay Wilder inside the squared circle.

On the latest episode of the Timbo Sugar Show, the bantamweight champion, alongside his coach Tim Welch, discussed the idea of 'Poatan' stepping into a boxing ring. Their discussion came after boxing star Anthony Joshua stated that he'd like to see Pereira make his boxing debut in the near future.

According to O'Malley, whilst he would certainly be intrigued if Pereira made the switch to boxing, however, he isn't so sure his skills would translate over. He said:

"I just think [Alex] Pereira's style just doesn't necessarily translate super well into boxing. He does a lot of things wrong. He has that nuke in his left hand but it's just like dude, he floats his chin a lot."

O'Malley continued:

"He throws; I mean, yeah I guess it depends who he fights. Deontay Wilder also fu*king would be maybe like a good matchup for him. But I mean, I'd f****** still probably watch, man."

Check out O'Malley's comments here (28:32):