- Alex Pereira is not planning to face Tom Aspinall at heavyweight
- “Poatan” is backing israel Adesanya against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305
- The Brazilian wants to fight again before the year ends
Alex Pereira isn’t interested in facing Tom Aspinall, plans to return in late this year and is rooting for Israel Adesanya over Dricus du Plessis.
Only going against the champ
Speaking on his YouTube channel, “Poatan” addressed his talked-about potential move to heavyweight. According to Pereira, he doesn’t see the point of taking on Aspinall for an interim title and he’s currently focused on defending his light heavyweight belt.
However, if he ever ends up moving to heavyweight or returning to middleweight, Pereira said he is only going after the champ.
“What I got to say is, it doesn’t interest me to fight [Aspinall] at the moment,” Pereira said. “To be honest, heavyweight isn’t my goal, it isn’t my main focus. Tom Aspinall, not talking him as a fighter, I’m talking positions. I think I’m in another position now. It doesn’t make sense for me to fight for the interim belt.”
“I am not belittling him. I respect him a lot,” he said of Aspinall. “I think he’s an incredible athlete, a guy that is very dangerous technically. I’m just talking about fighting for an interim belt. There’s no point for me. So I rule that out, there is no possibility to fight him now. If he was champion and he said that, of course we would be promoting that fight. I would force it more, but there is no point to fight for the interim belt right now.”
“Like I said, my focus is on my category,” he added. “I’m evolving a lot, doing very good. That is my focus, I’m doing a lot of good things in this division. I’m very happy with this. I’m not going to force anything. I think when I go to heavyweight, I have the weight and name today to fight back at middleweight, which I won’t be doing, but If I did go back to middleweight, I’d fight the belt. If I go to heavyweight, I would fight the belt. Like I said, I’m 37, so I have to go straight to the top, straight to the belt. If it’s Jon Jones, if it’s Aspinall, whoever, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m just eyeing the belt.”
Alex’s target return date
Pereira also revealed his most realistic return date. The Brazilian said that as of now, he wants to continue improving his game and possibly target another fight in either November or December.
“When I return, it won’t be now. I want to rest a little. Evolve my training. But I think December would be a good date for me. November or December. Before November I don’t want to go back. I want to rest and evolve,” Pereira said.
“I have work I need to do, so the dates are a bit tight. In, October I have a lot of commitments. So if I fight in November it will complicate it a bit. I would have to do my commitments and train a little in October. Focus more on the training in November, to fight in December. So I think December would be the best date for me,” he explained.
Cheering for Izzy
Surprisingly, Pereira had a lot of nice things to say about Adesanya. In fact, “Poatan” even confided that he would “cheering” for his former rival in his upcoming title fight with Du Plessis at UFC 305.
“They asked me about Adesanya and Du Plessis, I said I don’t see Adesanya losing. Just because he said that about me doesn’t mean I’ll say it back. It’s what I think. I don’t think he loses this fight, I hope he wins because he has a beautiful story. I think he has to continue his story. He isn’t a young guy,” Pereira said.
“He talked a little about wanting to stop, I think he has that in mind. I think he should continue his plans, I don’t think he finished his plans, I don’t know if he finished them he would have stopped, so if he is still there he still has a dream, I don’t know. Something to do in the sport still,” he continued.
“I’m here, supporting him, I already fought him, not going to say he should lose. I’m not mad at him, no grudges,” he added of Izzy. “Like I said if one day it’s possible to train with him, exchanging knowledge, behind the scenes we hear a lot of things, about Adesanya, a lot of people talk about him ‘he’s this, he’s bad’ and what not. The people who truly know him that I had contact with, talk good about him. Has a good heart, a lot of the times it’s just marketing I believe that, I can see he is a good person, so that’s why I’m here, cheering for him. If he doesn’t cheer for me, that’s not my problem. But I’m here, cheering for him.”
Winning $303K bonus
Pereira then recalled how he prompted UFC president Dana White to increase his fight bonus at UFC 303 from $50K to a whopping $303K. Apparently, it happened backstage and “Poatan” kind of joke about it and White obliged right away.
“I won the $303,000, I said in the Octagon in UFC 300 I should of won it. Didn’t give it to me. So I played around there saying I didn’t understand during the interview, when the reporter asked Dana White. If the bonus would be 303,000. As he did in UFC 300. So I said I understood that it was $303,000. So I played with that, when I left the Octagon we went to do medical work went well, then we had a talk with the organization, Dana White. Then he said, “I gave you bonus of the fight” Then I said to him, ‘$303,000?’,” Pereira remembered.
“Then he laughed and said, “No, $50,000” and I was like, ‘At the interview they asked you, I don’t understand English and I understood it was $303,000.’ Then he laughed again and said, “Okay fine, $303,000 for you” then I thanked him,” he added.
Pereira has successfully defended his light heavyweight title twice in a row. Other top contenders in the division are now hoping to get the next title shot with Magomed Ankalaev as one of the frontrunners.
Watch Pereira’s full video below:
