White: Pereira could move to heavyweight 'if he cleaned out' 205 pounds
UFC CEO Dana White is still hesitant to let Alex Pereira move up to heavyweight.
After he knocked out Jiri Prochazka in his second light heavyweight title defense in Saturday's UFC 303 main event, Pereira said he sees a jump up in weight "in my future." The 36-year-old became the ninth two-division champ in UFC history last November and wants to become the first to win a title in three divisions.
However, White believes Pereira needs to beat more contenders at 205 pounds to warrant that opportunity.
"The guy was a middleweight and then moves up to light heavyweight," White said at the UFC 303 postfight press conference. "He's had a couple fights there, defended his title. But it's not like this guy's been in the division for two years and ran through everybody that's in the division, and it's like, 'Come on, what's next? At least let him move to heavyweight.'
"If he cleaned out a division, and we were like, 'There's literally nobody left for this guy to fight.' ... But that's not the case."
Pereira made his UFC light heavyweight debut last July and has won four straight in the weight class, defeating Jan Blachowicz, Prochazka (twice), and Jamahal Hill. "Poatan" previously held the UFC middleweight belt before losing it to Israel Adesanya in April 2023.
Despite Pereira rehydrating up to 230 pounds just hours after weigh-ins Friday, White seemed to have at least some concern the Brazilian would be undersized at heavyweight.
"Chuck (Liddell) and Forrest Griffin used to walk around at 230, and they would cut down to 205," White said. "That's not big. Some of these heavyweights are 265. They're cutting to 265. It's just a whole other level."
Though White isn't sold on Pereira competing at heavyweight, the UFC CEO praised the light heavyweight champ after yet another spectacular performance. White labeled Pereira "one of the biggest stars in the sport" less than three years removed from his Octagon debut. Pereira joined the UFC after a successful career in GLORY Kickboxing in which he was also a two-division champion.
"He's ready to turn around and wants to fight again right away," White said of Pereira. "He's that guy. He's a savage, man. The guy's an absolute stud."
White added: "People in the fight business love guys who want to fight, love guys who want to finish, love guys who want to compete. As a fight fan, he's the ideal fighter that you would follow and become a fan of."
White didn't commit to Pereira's next fight but expressed some interest in a trilogy bout with Adesanya should the latter regain the middleweight title in his UFC 305 bout against Dricus Du Plessis on Aug. 17.
"They're still at the top of their game," White said of Pereira and Adesanya, two rivals who are 1-1 against each other in the UFC. "I don't know. You could (book the third fight). Who wouldn't want to see the fight? I mean, they're great fights."