UFC Middleweight champion, Alex Pereria, will be back in action at UFC 287. The Brazilian fighter has taken the MMA world by storm since his entry into the UFC. Since Pereira’s debut bout in the promotion, he has racked up a record of 4 wins, with 3 stoppages. The most significant of the wins came against Israel Adesanya in his last bout at UFC 281, as it won him the middleweight title.
Adesanya had a great performance in the fight, right until the very last round. In the final round, mentor Glover Teixeira pushed Alex and motivated him to get a stoppage win. Round 5 was the first time Poatan connected a clear punch and that was enough to rock Izzy and stop him at the 2:01-minute mark.
Heading into the bout, Alex’s size was a big story! Before the event in November 2022, images surfaced of Alex looking much bigger than Dominick Reyes, who fights at 205 lbs. But, Alex, who fights at 185 lbs, seemed to outweigh Reyes, who went toe-to-toe with the heavyweight champ Jon Jones. With such a great size advantage and pure kickboxing skills, Alex is a fearsome fighter to face.
However, if the UFC commentator Joe Rogan is to be believed, his physical frame may just be one of the reasons behind his downfall!
Joe Rogan sends Alex Pereira a warning ahead of UFC 287
Joe Rogan is a veteran UFC commentator and has been a part of the promotion since the early 2000s. He has a lot of experience in judging fighters and his assessment of Alex Pereira does not seem to be a very positive one. While Joe Rogan is a big fan of Pereira as a fighter and has respect for his skills, Rogan is less sure about his fighting weight.
Alex Pereira Out of Camp
— VҽɳσɱMMA 🎮 (@YoshiKatzo) August 10, 2022
232.8 Pounds – Wow
This is insane, he fights at 185.
Imagine what he weighs entering the cage! pic.twitter.com/NshE3lnRKn
During JRE MMA Show #137 with Jorge Masvidal, Rogan spoke about Alex Pereira and how massive the 35-year-old is outside the Octagon. There are reports that Pereira balloons up to 232.8 lbs when he is not fighting. Hence, he has to cut about 47 lbs to make the championship limit of 185 lbs. That is exactly why Rogan feels Alex may not be fighting at middleweight for long.
Talking about the risk of cutting extreme amounts of weight, Rogan added, “When he gets into the Octagon at 185, you can’t believe he ever weighed 185. He’s so f***ing big! It’s a giant advantage, but I wonder how long he can do that. He’s like 34 now, I wonder how long his body is gonna allow him to dehydrate the sh*t out of himself like that.”
Rogan also referenced Alex Pereira’s intentions to move up to light-heavyweight in the near future. Alex had an intense staredown with the current 205 lbs champ Jamahal Hill after the latter’s win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283. If Pereria retains the title against Adesanya at UFC 287, perhaps he will stick around to defend the strap.
However, in case of a loss, it may just put an end to Alex Pereira’s middleweight run. During the UFC 281 weigh-ins, it was visible that Alex had a brutal weight cut. Would he want to put himself through the same if he is not the champ any longer? Fans will find out this Saturday at UFC 287.