Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira will look to chase a title in a third weight class when he meets Ciryl Gane at the UFC White House co-main event on June 14.
“Poatan” relinquished his light heavyweight championship to move up to the heavyweight division to chase history at UFC Freedom 250. No other fighter in the history of the promotion has earned titles in three weight classes.
“Listen, just Alex Pereira is one of the greatest,” said former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. “I’ve said this for a long time, if not – No, the greatest combat athlete to ever live in my opinion,” du Plessis told Fight Forecast and Betway South Africa according to an article featured on Yahoo.
“Alex Pereira to this point – The GOAT of course being Jon Jones, the GOAT of the UFC. I’m taking about across the board. Going, doing what he did in kickboxing, coming to the UFC in such a short period of time, and now challenging for his third title. I mean, that’s unheard of.”
“I have him winning the fight,” du Plessis said. “I’m backing Alex Pereira in this fight. I hope he wins the fight, and I think he is going to win that fight. He’s huge. He’s huge. He doesn’t look small against Gane.”
At the top of the June 14 event, lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje will look to solidify the title at 155-pounds.
The following fights are expected to complete the UFC White House fight card:
A bantamweight bout between former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley and Aiemann Zahabi.
A lightweight contest featuring Maurício Ruffy and former three-time Bellator Lightweight World Champion (also former lightweight title challenger) Michael Chandler.
A middleweight bout between Bo Nickal and Kyle Daukaus.
A featherweight bout between former title challenger Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia.