Chael Sonnen believes Alex Pereira’s time at light heavyweight may be nearing its end following his upcoming title defense against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313.
UFC CEO Dana White has expressed interest in booking a heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall in 2025. But with Jones himself previously favoring a superfight with Pereira, “Poatan” appears to have other options to explore.
One new possibility seems to be boxing, as unified heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk recently expressed interest in facing the UFC star as part of his retirement plans.
Regardless of the outcome of the Ankalaev fight, Sonnen predicts the light heavyweight kingpin will seek new opportunities.
“If Pereira wins, he’s going to be looking for something else to do, and if Pereira loses, he’s gone,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I feel like many of you have forgotten how Pereira got to 205 pounds. He did not get to 205 by cleaning out 185. He got to 205 by losing at 185. That’s what opened the door — no belt, no vacate, a move right up.
“So no matter what happens after Ankalaev, things are going to be very different for Pereira. I predict he’s moving up, and the ticking time bomb of Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall carrying this on and dragging this out — that time bomb reaches midnight as soon as Pereira is done with his piece of business with Ankalaev, win or lose.”
