Michael Bisping thinks Alex Pereira trying to fight on three weeks’ notice is a very bad idea.
Returning to the Octagon to headline the promotion’s landmark UFC card in Las Vegas, ‘Poatan’ closed the show with another highlight-reel knockout, dispatching former champion Jamahal Hill in the opening round to retain his light heavyweight title.
Immediately following the bout, Pereira expressed interest in competing at UFC 301 on May 4 — a mere three weeks away.
Looking at the possibility of seeing Alex Pereira headline next month’s pay-per-view offering, UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping doesn’t necessarily hate the idea but believes a second weight cut in a month could bring dire consequences for a fighter who normally walks around as a heavyweight.
“The man is 36 years old. He’s not on borrowed time, but he’s maybe got four more years of competing at this level,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “So maybe fighting in three weeks’ time isn’t a bad idea. However, the danger of fighting in three weeks’ time for Alex Pereira is he’s got to make that weight cut again. He’s gigantic for 205. I don’t know how he made it to 185. He apparently walked into the cage around 240 pounds [at UFC 300]. So making the weight cut again would be drastic. That’ll be a challenge.
On top of another weight cut, Pereira would likely find himself with very little time to prepare for one of the most well-rounded fighters in the light heavyweight division.
“Magomed Ankalaev is a tremendously well-rounded mixed martial artist,” Bisping said. “Last time against Johnny Walker, he got it done with his hands. The man is a great wrestler and against Alex Pereira, the game plan would be to shoot and take away the best weapons of Pereira. He’s going to take you down. We’ve seen some of the footage of Pereira working with Glover Teixeira and his grappling skills will be improving all the time, but right now, his skills in the grappling department aren’t good enough to compete with Ankalaev.
“Granted, all fights start on the feet and Alex has a real good shot of adding another legendary name to his list, but on three weeks’ notice, if I were his manager I would say f*ck no. You’re the champion of the world and that needs to be respected.”
Could We See Alex Pereira Move Up to Take on Tom Aspinall at UFC 301?
To avoid the necessary weight cut, Pereira could potentially move up to heavyweight in search of a third UFC title. A fight between himself and reigning interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been heavily rumored since before the UFC 300 card was finalized.
However, Bisping suggested that accepting a fight with Aspinall, short notice or otherwise, would be a bad idea for ‘Poatan’ at this point in his career.
“The real danger against Tom Aspinall is in the grappling.” Bisping said. “Tom has a ridiculously high fight IQ and ridiculously high skills. Right now, I don’t think the thing to do for Alex Pereira is to fight Tom Aspinall.”
With Pereira going into UFC 300 sporting a broken toe, it’s highly unlikely that the two-division champ would even be allowed to compete, no matter how hard he lobbies for the spot. But as they say in mixed martial arts, anything can happen.
Watch Bisping’s full comments below:
