[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] is taking his talent up a division, and this has left many wondering whether it will ultimately pay off for his fighting career.
Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) lost his UFC middleweight title this past April in a rematch against Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 287 in Miami. Yet despite being 1-1 against Adesanya, the Brazilian chose to move up to light heavyweight rather than seek a trilogy bout at 185 pounds.
Some have questioned this decision, and are eager to see how Pereira fares this Saturday against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City. Time will tell, but [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] is confident the move to 205 pounds will be for the better in Pereira’s career.
“I think there’s a variety of benefits for him moving up a weight class,” Hardy told Submission Radio. “First of all, he’s not boiling himself down to 185. If you stand next to the guy, I don’t know how he steps on the scale at 185 pounds, just his skeleton looks too big, to be honest. He’s massive. It’s crazy. You don’t realize the size of the guy until you see him in person.”
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Some may see Pereira’s light heavyweight move as giving up a size and power advantage since he’ll be facing much larger competition. However, Hardy doesn’t see it that way.
“I feel like moving up to this weight class is going to allow him to grow into his body a little bit more, something he’s been working against for a number of years to keep his weight down,” Hardy explained. “I feel like there’s a sigh of relief that the body goes through, and all of a sudden you’ve got five pounds of muscle on you that you’ve been waiting to grow for a couple of years.
“I feel like he’s going to look thicker and stronger. His neck is going to be thicker, which is going to make him more difficult to knock out. I think his back is going to be thicker. I think he’s going to be stronger with his takedown defense. I only really see benefits because he’s not going to be undersized, and if he’s going to be out-skilled by someone, that could happen at middleweight just as much as light heavyweight. I think we’re going to see a healthier version of him.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.