Coach: Alex Pereira Confident He Can Beat 205-Pound Champ Jamahal Hill

After relinquishing the middleweight belt in a knockout loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287, Alex Pereira has designs on challenging for a title in a new division very soon.

"We are planning to do one debut fight at light heavyweight as soon as possible and stay ready to be the reserve fighter for Jiri [Prochazka] vs Jamahal [Hill],” Pereira’s coach, Jorge Guimaraes, told Sherdog.com.

Prochazka relinquished the 205-pound title at the end of 2022 due to a serious shoulder injury. No timetable has been set for his return. In the meantime, Hill claimed the vacant strap with a victory over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283. According to Guimaraes, Peireira had been planning on moving up in weight for a some time now.

"Even though he never missed weight, the whole process was stressful and tiring,” Guimaraes “After Jamahal beat Glover, he told me, ‘I can beat this guy.’ He was really excited about that possibility. And you can bet you will see an even more dangerous ‘Poatan’ in the light heavyweight division. To tell you the truth, I truly think he can be competitive even in the heavyweight division.”

Regarding the loss to Adesanya, Guimaraes said Pereira was following the game plan before the finish arrived.

"Everything was going according to the tactical plan. Poatan´s kicks were hurting Adesanya and I think he was starting to have problems just like in the first fight,” Guimaraes said. “That knockout was like a last bullet. But all the credit to him for accepting a rematch five months after being knocked out and getting such an impressive win. But I truly believe that if ‘Poatan’ faces Adesanya 10 times he will win nine. Adesanya said that story was finished for him. He didn’t want to do a trilogy, but for ‘Poatan’ that story is not over.”