Fans are concerned Alex Pereira is "too big" to compete in the middleweight division after fresh training footage emerged.
Pereira was recently crowned UFC middleweight champion with a late stoppage win over Israel Adesanya to cap off his quickfire rise to the top of the 185lb division. It is expected that 'Poatan' will remain in that division for the foreseeable future with Adesanya expected to try and get immediate redemption in a planned rematch next.
The Brazilian star has since returned to training after taking an extended break into Christmas, with his next fight yet to be officially confirmed by the UFC. New footage has emerged of Pereira working the pads with his trainer, where he is seen to have a muscly frame and looks huge against his coach.
And fans have noticed his size once again, with one fan writing: "Imagine if he fights the next light-heavyweight champion and wins just to do what Izzy couldn't do." Another agreed: "Lol Robert Whittaker was absolutely right. Look at the size difference between Alex and his training partner. This dude is a giant, who let him in?"
A fan added: " You're such a huge bug, you'd be a light heavyweight champion! Continue the reign of @gloverteixeira. Champion in 2 categories in 2023 for sure." One fan even made a bold suggestion, writing: "No he's only good at middleweight because he is twenty pounds heavier than the rest of the fighters."
It has been questioned whether the champion can sustain his harsh cuts in weight to continue his reign as champion, or whether he will follow in the footsteps of his rival Adesanya and attempt to move up to light heavyweight. UFC analyst Joe Rogan even criticised his huge weight deficits before fights, and suggested it was "sanctioned cheating".
What do you make of Alex Pereira's latest training footage? Let us know in the comments section below
“He could have been,” Rogan said on the latest episode of his Joe Rogan Experience podcast when asked if Pereira weighed around 220lb prior to his win. “I mean, he certainly gets above that in between fights. And he has a hard time making 185. It’s basically sanctioned cheating. It really is. But everybody does it. It’s a bulls*** thing. But Izzy barely does it.
"When Izzy went up to fight Jan Blachowicz at light heavyweight he weighed 194, which is crazy because Blachowicz is a giant light heavyweight. I mean, Blachowicz is a big, powerful guy at light heavyweight and Izzy didn’t gain any weight. [Pereira] looks like a light heavyweight. He really does."
