One former two-division UFC champion believes Alex Pereira may be making his move to the heavyweights too early.
The UFC light heavyweight champion already vacated his title as he makes another divisional switch, adding to his achievements after winning gold at both 205 and 185 pounds.
‘Poatan’ is scheduled to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on June 14, a fight that comes during Tom Aspinall’s absence due to injury.
But Henry Cejudo thinks Pereira would have been better off waiting for the champion’s return.
Henry Cejudo backs Ciryl Gane to beat Alex Pereira
After reclaiming the light heavyweight title from Magomed Ankalaev last October, Pereira wasted no time in expressing his desire to move up once again.
With a Jon Jones match-up not materialising, the Brazilian star has shifted his focus towards making history as the first three-division champion in UFC history.
But according to ‘Triple C’, taking the fight with Gane cost Pereira an opportunity at something bigger. He spoke about it on his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman.
“If you are going to fight for that third belt, it’s got to be the undisputed belt. It takes a little bit of what being a triple champ is.”
“I just feel like if Pereira was to stick around at light heavyweight a little bit more, fight, undisputed right away. Right away. No more interim, none of that, he just waits and he’s granted that.
“What I’m trying to tell you is you take your chances fighting undisputed. You allow Tom’s eye to heal up… Now he’s going after two big dogs in order for him to become champion rather than just one.
“You fight two to become the first three-division champ, it changes because I don’t think he gets past Ciryl Gane. I think that weight is real.
“I think there’s so many contenders at light heavyweight for Pereira to go through… There’s [Carlos] Ulberg, who he’s never fought. Of course, he could beat him. There’s Khamzat Chimaev,” he concluded.
How Alex Pereira’s triple champ bid could look different than expected
Pereira is undoubtedly aiming to defy Cejudo’s prediction and secure a victory over Gane this summer.
But even if he does pull it off, the moment will not quite match the expectations that have been built around the idea of a triple champ.
While no one has accomplished it yet, recent moves between divisions have fuelled speculation that a fighter could soon break through that barrier. Both Pereira and Ilia Topuria are seen as strong candidates to make history first.
With fans having waited so long to see someone chase gold in three different weight classes, achieving it through an interim belt is not exactly how many imagined the moment.
If ‘Poatan’ were to win the interim heavyweight title but then lose to Tom Aspinall in a unification bout, there would likely be plenty of debate over whether his achievement truly counts as a legitimate three-division championship run.
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