Dana White says Alex Pereira requested a heavyweight move hours before reclaiming 205-lb title

 LAS VEGAS —Alex Pereira is serious about testing the waters at heavyweight so serious that he floated the idea to UFC CEO Dana White just hours before starching Magomed Ankalaev to recapture the light heavyweight belt at UFC 320.

White told reporters at the post-fight press conference that Pereira (13–3 MMA, 10–2 UFC) approached him at the UFC Performance Institute on fight day to pitch a jump to heavyweight. At the time, White urged him to focus on the immediate task: avenging his March loss to Ankalaev (21–2–1, 12–2–1 UFC).

“I was like, ‘You’re the last guy I expected here today. What are you doing here?’ and they were telling me, ‘We want to fight at heavyweight,’” White said. “I said, ‘Uh, how about you win tonight, and then we can talk about heavyweight.’”

White has previously been cool on heavyweight talk especially while Jon Jones held the title but he left the door more open after UFC 320, even as he emphasized there are still compelling matchups for Pereira at 205 pounds.

“It’s not that I have any reservations about it. The guy is in a division where there’s still interesting fights,” White said. “I like the guy so much. We’ll see. We’ll have to talk about it. I just don’t see why, unless he wants to retire. Why throw him at heavyweight? It doesn’t make any sense other than he just wants to do it so bad I’ll just say yes.”