Dana White doesn’t want Alex Pereira moving to heavyweight

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is only eight fights into his UFC career, and his resume is already among one of the best in the company.

Pereira dispatched former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1) at UFC 303 over the weekend via second-round TKO, prompting many to advocate for the 36-year-old Brazilian to move up to the heavyweight division.

However, during Saturday’s post-fight news conference, UFC president Dana White isn’t a fan of that idea — at least not right now.

“It’s not that I’m not into it,” White told reporters . “The guy was a middleweight, then moves up to light heavyweight. 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 he ran through everybody that’s in the division. … If he cleaned out a division and we were like, ‘There’s literally nobody left for this guy to fight’ … if he wants to move up to heavyweight [we’ll let him], but that’s not the case.”

Pereira has already switched weight classes twice within the last year.

He went 4-1 as a middleweight, winning the 185-pound championship in November 2022 before losing it to Israel Adesanya in April 2023. He’s since gone 4-0 as a light heavyweight with all four victories over former champions, and he won the 205-pound championship in just his second fight in the division.

To White’s point, Pereira has taken out some of the best in the 205-pound division — No. 1-ranked Prochazka (twice), No. 3-ranked Jamahal Hill (12-2-1) and No. 4-ranked Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1) — but there’s still plenty favorable matchups for him that can be made.

Pereira’s most logical next opponent is No. 2-ranked Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1), but potential bouts against No. 5-ranked Aleksandar Rakic (14-4) and No. 6-ranked Nikita Krylov (30-9) could also be of interest.

White also pointed out it may not be smart for Pereira to move up a weight class because of his size. He typically walks around at 230 pounds and cuts down to 205 for fights. His heavyweight counterparts can weigh anywhere from 206 pounds up to the 265-pound weight limit.

“It’s a whole other level going up to heavyweight,” White added. “Even as big as Jon Jones is, as good as Jon Jones is, when Jon Jones was moving up to heavyweight, we’re like, ‘This is going to be interesting.’ … Some of these heavyweights are 265. They’re cutting to 265. It’s just another other level.”