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UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has turned to a fellow combat sports superstar for career advice, and it’s getting fans excited already.
Not content with dominating not one, but two different combat sports; UFC champion and #2 ranked best pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira is now eyeing a takeover of a third discipline – this time, boxing.
Alex Pereira’s manager teases next MMA opponent for ‘Poatan’
Following his second-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303, many within the MMA community expected light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira to be matched up almost instantly against Russian contender Magomed Ankalaev.
However, a potential wrench has been thrown in the mix with Pereira’s manager commenting under a social media post earlier in the week, suggesting that the next title shot will instead be given to Polish warrior Jan Blachowicz.
Yet as the speculation surrounding Poatan’s next opponent continues, it appears that Pereira himself is already eyeing a potential big-money move to the world of boxing following a surprising admission from former heavyweight king, Anthony Joshua.
Alex Pereira's manager, Jorge Guimarães, commented under a post asking who is next for Alex Pereira?
His answer: Jan Blachowicz 👀#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/wBgw08seBL
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 2, 2024
Alex Pereira turns to boxing superstar Anthony Joshua for ‘career advice’
Aside from being a superstar in the world of boxing, Anthony Joshua is also a keen fan of Mixed Martial Arts with the former heavyweight champion having also been a playable character in the previous UFC video game title.
Taking to social media, Joshua would suggest that he’d be delighted to see Alex Pereira hang up the smaller UFC gloves in favor of lacing up in the boxing ring.
“Alex Pereira should make a boxing debut one day,” he wrote on social media, with Pereira himself responding only a few hours later with a request of his own.
“I’m honored you think so. It’s always been my dream, I’m 37 I cannot make a career in it so who do you recommend I fight?”
I’m honored you think so. It’s always been my dream, I’m 37 I cannot make a career in it so who do you recommend I fight? https://t.co/SuERao5At1
— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) July 6, 2024
Interestingly, Alex Pereira does actually already have a win on his professional boxing record already, having fought Marcelo de Souza Cruz in Brazil back in June 2017 – that fight ended in a TKO win for Poatan.
You can watch a home video copy of Pereira’s sole boxing match below.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for the aforementioned Magomed Ankalaev to chime in – and it’s safe to say that the surging contender isn’t happy with the idea of losing out on the chance to face Pereira in the octagon.
“Alex Pereira [is] one more UFC champion [who] want to run to boxing because he knows he’s going to lose his belt next,” the first message read.
“Me vs you, I’m knocking you out [in] the first round. You don’t need boxing you need your biggest challenge in your life,” Ankalaev stated, tagging both Dana White and Mick Maynard directly in the post.
Ankalaev would then address Joshua himself, claiming that the boxing icon is simply “trying to get one more easy payday” before suggesting that he makes the transition across the combat sports aisle himself – “What about you come to the UFC real fighting?”
This is in reference to Joshua’s last fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, ending in dramatic fashion as the British superstar knocked out ‘The Predator’ in the second round with a brutal overhand right.
Anthony Joshua returns to action in September to fight Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.
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