Pereira Vs. Magomedov Grappling Match Teased

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira appears to be in talks with Shara Magomedov over a grappling match.

Rizvan Magomedov, Shara Magomedov’s manager, says active negotiations are currently underway for agrappling match. Pereira’s future is uncertain following his title defense at UFC 320 in October 2025, where he avenged his loss by stopping Magomed Ankalaev to reclaim his light heavyweight belt.

While grappling is an option, Pereira’s primary eyes are set on a historic third UFC divisional title. He has been aggressively campaigning for a move to heavyweight. A legacy-defining showdown with Jon Jones has been mentioned for the UFC White House card scheduled for June. Equally, Pereira still has a line of hungry 205-pound contenders, vying for a shot at his belt.

Will It Happen?

Magomedov is no stranger to the mats. He recently surprised the combat sports world by holding lightweight Arman Tsarukyan to a draw in a submission-only match in December 2025. Magomedov enters these negotiations fresh off a successful July 2025 UFC outing, where he secured a unanimous decision victory over Marc-Andre Barriault. A match against “Poatan” would represent a massive jump in visibility.

“We are waiting for a date for Shara’s next fight. Ideally an event in Middle East or somewhere else, cause he can’t fight in US for obvious reasons. He’s filling free time with these kind of matches. It’s essentially two strikers who will be grappling. The negotiations are ongoing,” Magomedov stated

Outside of grappling, Pereira has also said he will pursue some boxing bouts.

“I am definitely going to box. Look, I made it clear that I want to fight boxing. Same thing, right? When I got into kickboxing, they didn’t believe me. MMA, same thing. Boxing, they’ll say the same thing. But I’m used to it, I don’t care. I just want to go out there and fight. It’s not about aiming for more money. I like a challenge. I want to be the best,” Pereira said