Former UFC light heavyweight and middleweight champion Alex Pereira has revealed his desired return date for his next fight.
Pereira last fought at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 when he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane in a failed bid to become the interim UFC heavyweight champion and the first three-division champion in UFC history.
After that fight, Pereira has been vocal about referee Herb Dean’s poor performance during the bout, as he remains adamant Dean missed illegal strikes from Gane that led to him getting finished.
But with that fight now in the rearview mirror, Pereira knows he has to get back into the Octagon and get active again if he wants to chase the heavyweight title.
He’s hoping his next fight is before the year is over.
Alex Pereira Wants to Fight in November
Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri of Paramount Canada, Pereira revealed that he wants to return in November at heavyweight.
Every November, the UFC goes to Madison Square Garden in New York City, so it makes sense that Pereira would be on that card, likely in the co-main event spot, beneath a title fight.
“BREAKING | Alex Pereira tells me he’s deadset on a November return at heavyweight,” Mahjouri wrote.
Who Could Alex Pereira Fight?
Taking a look at the Meta UFC Rankings, it makes the most sense for Pereira, the No. 4-ranked heavyweight, to fight Josh Hokit, the No. 5-ranked heavyweight.
These two do not like each other, and a fight between them has been brewing all year long. With Pereira and Hokit both recently competing at UFC Freedom 250, they are on the same timeline as far as activity inside the cage goes, so it makes sense that they fight each other at MSG in November in a potential UFC heavyweight title eliminator.
It’s possible that Pereira vs. Hokit could be the co-main event, with the main event of the card being the UFC heavyweight title unification bout between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. We’ll see what the UFC matchmakers have up their sleeves, but this fight between Pereira and Hokit makes the most sense.
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