Pereira: I'm moving to light heavyweight
Former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira is taking action after his loss to Israel Adesanya.
Pereira announced early Thursday morning that his next fight will take place in the light heavyweight division.
"I think I did my work (at) 185, and now I'm feeling good to go up to 205," Pereira said in Portuguese in a video on his YouTube channel.
"Like I told you, when I'm feeling good, I will go up," he continued. "This will be something natural. And now I think it is."
Pereira dropped the 185-pound title to Adesanya via a second-round knockout last weekend at UFC 287. It was his first UFC defeat and his first loss in MMA since his 2015 pro debut. Pereira was defending the title for the first time after finishing Adesanya to win it last November.
UFC president Dana White said after the rematch he expected Pereira would move up to 205 pounds, and Adesanya suggested he compete at a heavier weight. Pereira fought at both middleweight and light heavyweight as a kickboxer.
However, the Brazilian is adamant he can still make 185 pounds, and he isn't closing the door on a third MMA meeting with Adesanya. Pereira still holds a 3-1 advantage over Adesanya counting his two wins in kickboxing from 2016 and 2017.
"I'm sure if I ... insist to fight him immediately, the UFC and my promoters will make it happen," Pereira said.
The 35-year-old does not yet have an opponent or a date for his UFC light heavyweight debut.