“It’s not in my plans at the moment,” MMA Fighting quoted the Brazilian as saying. “I just moved up in weight and I feel great. I won the belt, which means I’m doing everything right, so at the moment I’m a welterweight.”
“I’m not a heavyweight, but I’m 36 years old and if my body one day says, ‘Dude, you can’t fight at flyweight anymore,’ then I’ll move up, but at the moment that’s not in the plans.”
In April of this year, Alex Pereira lost his UFC middleweight championship belt after losing by second-round knockout to Israel Adesanya in an immediate rematch. The Brazilian then moved up to the welterweight division, defeating Jan Blachowicz by split decision in a challenger’s bout, and last month Pereira won the vacant title by finishing Jiri Prohazka by second-round TKO.
The Brazilian fighter’s next opponent could be former division champion Jamal Hill, or the winner of a potential challenger fight between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnnie Walker, who headlines UFC Fight Night 234 in Las Vegas on Jan. 13.