Former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira may have just one chance in his hands to reclaim his title in the rematch against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320. He lost the first one in a bit of a lopsided fashion, so there is a lot riding on his upcoming fight. However, Pereira has an issue to take care of before getting inside the Octagon because he’s got a massive amount of weight to cut for the title fight.
As we all know, the light heavyweight title fight weight limit is 205 lbs on the dot. Fighters cannot weigh even a pound more than that. But for Alex Pereira, with less than a couple of weeks left for the fight, he recently revealed that he’s weighed around 106.2 kg or 234 lbs, which is almost thirty pounds over the weight limit. However, his team, especially his mentor and coach, Glover Teixeira, is determined to help ‘Poatan’ make weight for the Magomed Ankalaev rematch.
Glover Teixeira is pushing Alex Pereira to the limit to shed 30 lbs
Fans are understandably concerned about Alex Pereira losing his chance to win the title due to weighing in over the limit at UFC 320. After all, 30 lbs is not easy to cut in such a short period, and engaging in such a weight-cutting process can be harmful. However, Pereira is known for always passing the weigh-ins with flying colors, which he also did when he was at middleweight. And so, the hard work is being put in by the former champion, and his mentor, Glover Teixeira, is heavily invested in it, as he wrote, “Coach is fully committed,” while sharing an update on his Instagram stories.
Alex Pereira, as he usually does, was seen planking on the mat with Glover Teixeira sitting on him. This exercise comes in handy to burn calories and lose weight, but those are not the only workouts he’s engaged in. ‘Poatan’ was also seen engaging in late-night runs and sprints, and he seems determined to make weight, with Texeira also claiming that Pereira is “always working,” in another Instagram story.
It will certainly be interesting to see how far he’s able to go down in weight when the day of the weigh-in arrives. Meanwhile, the fight community has also been discussing his chances of beating Magomed Ankalaev this time after getting dominated in their first encounter. Some people pointed out that he wasn’t serious prior to UFC 313, as he was seen travelling all over the world, losing crucial days of training. However, Pereira is not ready to let others define his story, and revealed some details about his preparation for UFC 320.
‘Poatan’s was triggered by people’s comments after his first loss
While Jon Jones and Conor McGregor have been away, Alex Pereira has emerged as the current legit superstar in the UFC. As such, the demand among people to meet him and collaborate with him is always going to be there. The former champion, during a recent interview, mentioned that he shot some scenes for a movie, which was the reason why he had been travelling before his last fight. Claiming to be in a great spot ahead of the rematch against Ankalaev, Pereira expressed his disappointment with the people who were ‘coming at him’ after his UFC 313 loss.
“I’m very excited for this fight, for those who know me and always by my side, as well as everyone else, especially the last camp, you guys have seen the big difference, the evolution in technique, the physical conditioning, my body feels great, I’m feeling great,” Alex pereira stated on YouTube. “I went to shoot some scenes and people started to come to me and said when I was at the movie, ‘Poatan started to travel again.’”
The past is the past, and there’s nothing Alex Pereira or any of his fans can do to change that. So now, our focus is on the next fight, and as the Brazilian star keeps working to make weight, let us know what you think about such a massive weight cut. Drop your opinions in the comments section below.