UFC commentator answers burning question about Alex Pereira's future at light heavyweight, weighs in on potential Dricus du Plessis clash

Alex Pereira is set to defend his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev this Saturday. Ahead of the clash, many are speculating that this could be Pereira’s last fight at 205 pounds. UFC commentator Jon Anik weighed in on the speculation and also shared his prediction.

Pereira is rumored to move up to the heavyweight division to fight against Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall after his assignment this weekend. However, 'Poatan' has shown interest in a fight against middleweight champion du Plessis after the latter called him out in his octagon interview following his victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 312. The two even agreed backstage to fight each other in the near future. That being said, 'Stillknocks' is likely to face Khamzat Chimaev next.

Speaking to MMA Fighting on SBN, Anik was asked about his thoughts on Pereira's future after UFC 313. The UFC commentator emphasized that if Ankalaev wins in dominant fashion, there will be no discussion about a rematch. However, if the Dagestani secures a quick knockout, an immediate rematch might be on the table, as there are no clear contenders at 205 pounds. He said:

"I think it depends upon how the fight goes. If Magomed Ankalaev beats Alex Pereira 50-45 and dominates him over 25 minutes, that wouldn't lay the foundation for a rematch as much as, say, a quick Ankalaev knockout. 'Poatan' has established so much goodwill with the fan base and the promotion, and you parlay that with the fact that there aren't a lot of obvious light heavyweight contenders right now.”

Furthermore, Anik explained why Pereira is more likely to fight du Plessis in the near future. He emphasized that if ‘Poatan’s' return timeline does not align with Jones and Aspinall for a heavyweight bout, he won’t wait and will instead target a fight against the middleweight kingpin. The commentator said:

“Alex Pereira can still make middleweight, and he wants to fight Dricus du Plessis. He did not defend the UFC middleweight championship. Of all the accolades for the future UFC Hall of Famer Alex Pereira. He never defended the middleweight championship. And if you think for a second that he doesn't have an appetite—no pun intended—to go back down to 185, you're absolutely crazy."

He continued:

"If the calendar doesn't align for him to challenge Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall in the heavyweight division, I don't think he's going to stick around at 205. He's probably going to try to go down to 185 and fight Dricus du Plessis. Even this week, when he was asked about it, the first name on the tip of his tongue was not Jon Jones—it was Dricus du Plessis."

Check out Jon Anik’s comments below (9:14):

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Alex Pereira sets condition for Dricus du Plessis' potential fight

Alex Pereira moved up to the light heavyweight division following his title loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. He has since dominated the 205-pound division, while successfully defending the belt three times.

In his appearance on New York Post Sports, Pereira laid out one condition for a potential fight with Dricus du Plessis. The Brazilian emphasized that he would only fight the South African champion at 205 pounds and would not move down a division. ‘Poatan’ said:

''It would definitely be a 205. I've said it before, I don't want to cut down to 185 anymore. It's just too complicated for the weight cut. Even behind the scenes asked him [Dricus du Plessis] if that was a callout to me and he said, 'yes' and I said, '205' and he was kind of unsure but he said sure so you know we'll see'’

Check out Alex Pereira’s comments below (4:06):