Alex Pereira successfully made the light heavyweight limit.
That probably doesn’t come as a surprise considering “Poatan” previously made the cut to middleweight. Sacrifices to his conditioning and durability, along with a knockout loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287, were the catalyst for a jump to the 205-pound weight class.
His first assignment comes in the UFC 291 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event. Pereira will collide with former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz this Sat. night (July 29, 2023) at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the winner moving on to challenge for the 205-pound title.
Here’s a closer look at his before and after transformation:
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Photos by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.
The light heavyweight title was recently vacated following an injury to Jamahal Hill.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 291 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+/ABC at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 291: “Poirier vs. Gaethje 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 291 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.