Alex Pereira says the timing is right for his jump to heavyweight as he prepares for an interim title clash with Ciryl Gane at the UFC White House card on June 14.
The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion contemplated a move to heavyweight before, and talks resurfaced in January when the UFC first debuted on Paramount. With heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall sidelined due to an eye injury, the promotion turned to Pereira for an interim heavyweight title fight, where he expects to weigh around 242 pounds on fight night.
"Well, I think the right moment is now," Pereira said. "At certain points before but I don’t really remember when we could have moved up to heavyweight but it would have felt a bit forced. Not now. Now it’s happening very naturally, in a perfect fight."
Pereira revealed he once bulked up to 258 pounds before gradually cutting back down for heavyweight. "Around [242 pounds]," he said of his current target, adding, "Not too heavy, I was heavier before though. I got up to [258 pounds] and then I gradually started cutting back down. I was at [242 pounds], then I dropped to [205 pounds]."
The Brazilian views the new division as a relief from past weight cuts. "It helps me a lot because of my diet. I don’t have that concern anymore," Pereira explained. "When I was a middleweight, it was much more complicated. About a month before the fight, I had to cut back heavily on food, maybe even feel a bit weaker. The weight cut was pretty aggressive. Now I don’t have that concern anymore and for me, that’s very important."
