Alex Pereira and Plinio Cruz claim they could "fight every month" at light heavyweight"
Alex Pereira has not entered the octagon since last October when he defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. via fourth-round TKO. The bout marked his third time defending the light heavyweight title in a six month span. 'Poatan' and his coach Plinio Cruz recently revealed that he could fight every month at light heavyweight.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Cruz stated:
"For me, I think it's better. He's 37 years old, he's in his prime, he's a kickboxer at first. He's used to fighting on the regular. I'd rather him fighting more often than having big gaps because I want his body and his mind to stay used to the adrenaline, the competition. I want him to be on a constant fight pace... He's five months since the last one... The weight that he is now with his weight cut, he could fight every month."
Check out Plinio Cruz's comments on Alex Pereira fighting every month below:
While Pereira comes from a kickboxing background, where fighters are far more active, it is difficult to envision any mixed martial artist fighting every month. Furthermore, his status as a champion makes that even more likely.
'Poatan' is set to make his return against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March.
Alex Pereira shares that he asked for Magomed Ankalaev matchup
Alex Pereira was named Fighter of the Year in 2024. However, he faced some criticism that Magomed Ankalaev was not among the opponents that he fought.
During his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, 'Poatan' revealed that he asked for the matchup, which has been scheduled for UFC 313, stating, via his coach and translator Plinio Cruz:
"[Ankalaev] says the company tells me what to do, but I'm the one that asked for the fight. I said I want to fight in March, May, June, but I'm the one that came there and said I want to fight Ankalaev now. And he found out only because I asked to fight... Any press conference, any interviews with Dana White come up, just ask him. I know 100% Dana White's going to say that I asked for the fight. It's impossible to say something else."
Check out Alex Pereira's comments on asking for the Magomed Ankalaev fight below:
While Ankalaev publicly angled for the matchup for much of 2024, Pereira accused him of turning down the opportunity behind closed doors. The two exchanged words for much of the year and will finally have the chance to settle their differences at UFC 313.