"Why isn't there gold on his shorts" - Fan theories emerge as Alex Pereira teases UFC 301 announcement 

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has ignited speculation among fans with a cryptic social media post hinting at his involvement with the upcoming UFC 301 event.

Fresh off a dominant first-round knockout victory over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, Pereira expressed his desire for a quick return to the octagon. However, with UFC 301 already featuring a title fight and the highly anticipated Jose Aldo return, speculation is mounting about the true nature of Pereira's announcement.

The Brazilian champion shared a video on Instagram showcasing him signing what appears to be a contract, followed by a sequence of receiving fight gear and performing the usual pre-fight shadowboxing for photographs. This cryptic post ignited theories among fans, with some questioning the absence of his championship gold shorts.

Pereira traditionally wears gold fight shorts when defending his title, but the video depicts him in black Venum fight wear. This has fueled speculation around a potential move up to the heavyweight division, something Pereira has hinted at previously.

Fans soon flooded in the comments section. One fan questioned:

"Why isn't there gold on his shorts"

Addressing the same, others speculated:

"So no gold on the shorts, does that mean he's going to be fighting at heavyweight ???"

"Heavyweight Pereira, that's why there's no champion shorts"

Check out some of the fan reactions to Alex Pereira's post below:

Fans react to Alex Pereira's latest post.

While the exact nature of Pereira's announcement remains unclear, the UFC light heavyweight champion has successfully captured the imagination of fight fans. All eyes will be on Pereira as he reveals his next move, which could involve a title defense or a heavyweight debut.

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What did Alex Pereira say about a move to heavyweight?

Alex Pereira's victory over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 marked a significant moment for the light heavyweight division. Not only was it the first successful title defense since 2020, but Pereira also defeated two former champions in succession.

Despite the wealth of potential challengers at 205 pounds (including Magomed Ankalaev, Jan Blachowicz, or a potential rematch with Israel Adesanya), Pereira has set his sights on a different challenge – heavyweight.

In his post-fight interview, Pereira expressed his desire to fight in his native Brazil at heavyweight:

"I want to keep defending this belt, I've talked a lot about fighting in Brazil if I won this fight. I won this fight, I'm not hurt, nothing happened. I know there needs to be a lot of promotion behind a fight, but I want to have a fight at heavyweight." [H/t: Yahoo Sports]