UFC phenom Alex Pereira tipped to make potential heavyweight move: ‘He can fight in any division’

Alex Pereira tipped to fight as high as heavyweight division UFC UFC 287UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira will have his first title defence in just two weeks, but his coach says a change in weight class is a future possibility. Pereira’s coach and former 205lbs champion, Glover Teixeira, went as far as stating that a move all the way up to heavyweight is a realistic option. UFC […]

Alex Pereira tipped to fight as high as heavyweight division UFC UFC 287

UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira will have his first title defence in just two weeks, but his coach says a change in weight class is a future possibility.

Pereira’s coach and former 205lbs champion, Glover Teixeira, went as far as stating that a move all the way up to heavyweight is a realistic option.

UFC 287 will prove to be a defining moment in Pereira’s MMA career, as he will be facing off against Israel Adesanya for the fourth time in combat sports.

Adesanya may have had his moments throughout the fight, but once again, it was Alex Pereira who had Adesanya’s number for the third time.

It began when Pereira battled ‘The Last Stylebender’ twice before the two ventured into the MMA circle.

Pereira came out victorious with a decision and a devastating knockout in a highly competitive bout.

At UFC 281, Adesanya came out ready to scrap and he not only outstruck Alex Pereira, but he hurt him badly at the end of round 1. ‘Poatan’ was forced to dig deep and with just minutes to go he showed his true power and snatched a TKO victory.

Pereira, who is rumoured to walk around much heavier than most in his weight class, is known to go through very intense weight cuts in order to make 185.

Speaking with MMA Junkie, Teixeira confirmed the adversity Alex Pereira goes through when cutting to 185, but he says it does not hinder his motivation.

“Eventually I think he’s going to want to do that because the weight cut is a big cut for him. He doesn’t complain. He just keeps going and doing it well, because he likes to be 185, and he feels good. But he can do 205 for sure and eventually it might happen because if he goes up, there are super fights, big fights. I think it’s a possibility.”

Teixeira has worked very closely with Pereira during his infant and now championship MMA career. He has become a mentor to Poatan at their gym, Teixeira MMA & Fitness, in Bethel, Connecticut.

The 35-year-old has just 8 professional MMA fights, a number frail in comparison to the 42 fights that Teixeira has been in.

Regardless of the result at UFC 287, Teixeira has made it clear that down the line Pereira will feature at a heavier weight, and it will not deter his success.

“Eventually he will. We talk about it. He can fight anywhere. Look at this guy. He can fight in any division. He can fight in Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight – he’s big.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)

Can Alex Pereira become a multi-weight world champion?

UFC phenom Alex Pereira tipped to make potential heavyweight move: ‘He can fight in any division’

Alex Pereira tipped to fight as high as heavyweight division UFC UFC 287UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira will have his first title defence in just two weeks, but his coach says a change in weight class is a future possibility. Pereira’s coach and former 205lbs champion, Glover Teixeira, went as far as stating that a move all the way up to heavyweight is a realistic option. UFC […]

Alex Pereira tipped to fight as high as heavyweight division UFC UFC 287

UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira will have his first title defence in just two weeks, but his coach says a change in weight class is a future possibility.

Pereira’s coach and former 205lbs champion, Glover Teixeira, went as far as stating that a move all the way up to heavyweight is a realistic option.

UFC 287 will prove to be a defining moment in Pereira’s MMA career, as he will be facing off against Israel Adesanya for the fourth time in combat sports.

Adesanya may have had his moments throughout the fight, but once again, it was Alex Pereira who had Adesanya’s number for the third time.

It began when Pereira battled ‘The Last Stylebender’ twice before the two ventured into the MMA circle.

Pereira came out victorious with a decision and a devastating knockout in a highly competitive bout.

At UFC 281, Adesanya came out ready to scrap and he not only outstruck Alex Pereira, but he hurt him badly at the end of round 1. ‘Poatan’ was forced to dig deep and with just minutes to go he showed his true power and snatched a TKO victory.

Pereira, who is rumoured to walk around much heavier than most in his weight class, is known to go through very intense weight cuts in order to make 185.

Speaking with MMA Junkie, Teixeira confirmed the adversity Alex Pereira goes through when cutting to 185, but he says it does not hinder his motivation.

“Eventually I think he’s going to want to do that because the weight cut is a big cut for him. He doesn’t complain. He just keeps going and doing it well, because he likes to be 185, and he feels good. But he can do 205 for sure and eventually it might happen because if he goes up, there are super fights, big fights. I think it’s a possibility.”

Teixeira has worked very closely with Pereira during his infant and now championship MMA career. He has become a mentor to Poatan at their gym, Teixeira MMA & Fitness, in Bethel, Connecticut.

The 35-year-old has just 8 professional MMA fights, a number frail in comparison to the 42 fights that Teixeira has been in.

Regardless of the result at UFC 287, Teixeira has made it clear that down the line Pereira will feature at a heavier weight, and it will not deter his success.

“Eventually he will. We talk about it. He can fight anywhere. Look at this guy. He can fight in any division. He can fight in Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight – he’s big.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)

Can Alex Pereira become a multi-weight world champion?

Jamahal Hill: Glover Teixeira Deserved A Better Sendoff From Fans

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jamahal Hill wishes fans in Brazil stuck around for Glover Teixeira’s retirement announcement. Hill defeated Teixeira via unanimous decision in the UFC 283 main event last Saturday. He overwhelmed Teixeira with his …

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jamahal Hill wishes fans in Brazil stuck around for Glover Teixeira’s retirement announcement. Hill defeated Teixeira via unanimous decision in the UFC 283 main event last Saturday. He overwhelmed Teixeira with his boxing and controlled the pace of the fight from the opening minutes onward. After the official decision was read…

Continue Reading Jamahal Hill: Glover Teixeira Deserved A Better Sendoff From Fans at MMA News.

Cornerman Thankful His Call To Stop Glover Teixeira Fight Was Dismissed

Coach John Hackleman has expressed relief at having his call for Glover Teixeira’s headline fight at UFC 283 to be stopped prematurely dismissed by his fellow cornermen. At the opening pay-per-view event of 2023, Teixeira fell short of two-time c…

Coach John Hackleman has expressed relief at having his call for Glover Teixeira’s headline fight at UFC 283 to be stopped prematurely dismissed by his fellow cornermen. At the opening pay-per-view event of 2023, Teixeira fell short of two-time champion status in front of his home fans in Rio de Janeiro. Having missed out on…

Continue Reading Cornerman Thankful His Call To Stop Glover Teixeira Fight Was Dismissed at MMA News.

Ji?í Procházka: Jamahal Hill Is Best “On Paper” Light Heavyweight

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Ji?í Procházka recently shared his thoughts on new champion Jamahal Hill. ‘Denisa’ vacated the title late last year after sustaining a severe shoulder injury in training for his rematch with Glover Teix…

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Ji?í Procházka recently shared his thoughts on new champion Jamahal Hill. ‘Denisa’ vacated the title late last year after sustaining a severe shoulder injury in training for his rematch with Glover Teixeira. UFC 282 then saw Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev’s bout get upgraded to a five-round championship main event….

Continue Reading Ji?í Procházka: Jamahal Hill Is Best “On Paper” Light Heavyweight at MMA News.

Coach John Hackleman is done cornering following Glover Teixeira’s loss at UFC 283

John Hackleman, Glover Teixeira, Jamaal HillJohn Hackleman has retired from cornering fights after an intense main event at UFC 283. The long-time coach was octagon side to support his prodigy Glover Teixeira who competed against Jamahal Hill for the vacant UFC heavyweight title.  It was a tough night for team Teixeira as Hill would dominate the fight to win UFC […]

John Hackleman, Glover Teixeira, Jamaal Hill

John Hackleman has retired from cornering fights after an intense main event at UFC 283. The long-time coach was octagon side to support his prodigy Glover Teixeira who competed against Jamahal Hill for the vacant UFC heavyweight title. 

It was a tough night for team Teixeira as Hill would dominate the fight to win UFC gold for the first time. After the fourth round, Hackleman wanted to stop the fight but was “outvoted” by his fellow cornermen. In an interview with MMA Fighting, Hackleman admitted that he thought it was a good time to end the fight going into the fifth and final round. 

I’m a known fight-stopper in between rounds,” Hackleman said. “I’m kind of known for that, maybe a little too much at times. But I thought this was a good time to stop it. I was outvoted in the corner.” (h/t MMA Fighting) 

John Hackleman Wants to Protect His Fighters 

“The Pit” founder and coach said he has experience stopping fights in the past and noted brain damage as one of the key reasons. Despite wanting to stop the fight at UFC 283, Hackleman is “thankful” that it wasn’t and Teixeira was able to continue. He did stay by his stance on wanting the fight ended. 

I’m thankful they didn’t [stop it],” Hackleman said. “I know this wouldn’t have gone well with anyone. It would have made a lot of people really unhappy, and I don’t want it to be about me. I would have thrown it in after the third. I would have been completely happy with the fight stopping there. I saw no reason for it to go on after that.” (h/t MMA Fighting) 

Hill became the first Dana White’s Contender Series alumni to win a UFC title. Teixeira would lay his gloves in the middle of the octagon and announce his retirement from in-ring competition following his loss in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hackleman will follow suit and retire from cornering fighters. 

That’s my last cornering,” he said. “I’m never going to work a corner again.” (h/t MMA Fighting) 

Hackleman founded “The Pit” in Woodland Hills, California in 1986. Several notable fighters trained at the MMA training camp, including Chuck Liddel, Tito Ortiz, Tim Kennedy, and Jake Shields to name a few.