Alex Pereira Urged to Avoid One Fighter After UFC 320 Win

UFC 320 reminded fans of the qualities that Alex Pereira possesses. Poatan reached the peak of the light heavyweight division once more, ending Magomed Ankalaev’s title reign, as well as his seven-year unbeaten streak.

In their previous encounter at UFC 313 in March, which saw Pereira lose his gold to Ankalaev, Poatan was criticised heavily after the defeat for a number of reasons. Pereira’s uncharacteristically lazy performance and his criticism of his opponent’s strategic approach painted the picture of a fighter who was unprepared for the battle ahead. There were also allegations of greasing aimed at the Russian’s camp. Pereira’s team, however, refused to publicly comment on the accusations.

But whether the criticisms were warranted or not, they seemed to have a huge effect on the Brazilian’s approach to the rematch. A huge right, a barrage of elbows, and a ground-and-pound combo brought the fight to a close in just 80 seconds. A comprehensive victory over a foe as accomplished as Ankalaev sent a message to the UFC brass: Pereira was back.

With the UFC White House card on the 14th of June next year now on the minds of seemingly every fighter on the promotion’s books, the 38-year-old is now reportedly looking towards a legendary UFC figure for his next challenge. But as good as Pereira is, UFC legend Matt Brown argues that it could be a huge misstep for the light heavyweight champon to be chasing his next opponent, as he would be the overwhelming underdog heading into that clash.

Alex Pereira Told to Avoid Fighting UFC Legend

Jon Jones is seen by many as the greatest MMA fighter of all time, noted for his ability to evolve and adapt to match every fighter he’s faced. In light of Jones’ prestige, Brown believes that the only fight the UFC should book if ‘Bones’ returns is a clash with heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

“I want the competitive fight,” Brown exclaimed on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “That goes exactly right into what I was saying. Do we want entertainment?

“What Alex and Jon is going to do is it’s going to have a ridiculous buildup. Where everybody’s going to be pumped. There’s going to be people betting on Alex, there’s going to be people just like Conor [McGregor] going and fighting Floyd [Mayweather] — like oh yeah, Conor’s got a chance! I think Alex has a better chance than Conor did against Floyd, by the way, but you get my point.

The impressive Aspinall, who has scored seven of his eight UFC victories in the first round, is set to defend his title for the first time at UFC 321 against Ciryl Gane. He is the overwhelming favourite in that fight and many believe that Aspinall is more than capable of handing Jones the first legitimate loss of his career. But as good as the Brit currently is, Brown concedes that Jones vs Pereira is a bigger fight in terms of fan interest.

“Is it a sport or is it entertainment?” Brown said. “Entertainment wise, I think we talked a little bit about the White House card, period, is this going to be make the biggest fights you can or make relevant fights? If you’re making the biggest fights you can, you go with Alex Pereira-Jon Jones, 100 percent […] That’s a no-brainer in terms of the biggest fight you could potentially make.”

The UFC has yet to comment on Pereira’s next fight. Company CEO Dana White, though, is not keen on Pereira making a move to heavyweight.