Michael Bisping thinks Alex Pereira still has more to prove at light heavyweight before changing weight classes.
UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defends his title against Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 main event Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City. Win or lose, “Poatan” wants to drop to middleweight to challenge Dricus Du Plessis.
“He’s the light heavyweight champion of the world,” Bisping said on Pereira on his YouTube channel. “Being the light heavyweight champion, it comes with some responsibility. First and foremost, No. 1, he’s got people to fight already. He’s fighting Khalil Rountree.
“You cannot look past killer Khalil Rountree. He’s the kickboxer killer, he really is. Think about this. He beat Gokhan Saki, a very good kickboxer that came to MMA. Dustin Jacoby, very good Glory kickboxer that came to MMA. Could he do the same to Alex Pereira? I don’t know. it’s a tough ask.”
Bisping says Pereira has work to do at 205 pounds. He thinks Pereira has predominantly fought strikers in his UFC career, and needs to get past a grappler to prove his greatness.
“After Khalil, if he’s victorious, and that is a big if, he got to fight Magomed Ankalaev. And by the way, Magomed Ankalaev, he isn’t happy about this,” Bisping said. “He is going absolutely mental online. …We want to see great champions, and Alex Pereira is a great champion. Make no mistake. We want to see them take on all comers in the division, but also prove that they can beat all of these different types of styles.
“Magomed Ankalaev, on paper, is a very, very tough stylistic matchup because of the Dagestani wrestling. If you look at Pereira, he’s had kind of a favorable path. I’m not talking sh*t. I’m just saying look at the facts. … What I’m saying is Magomed Ankalaev gives a different look, and if he wants to fight him, and if he was to beat him, he would shut any of the critics up.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.
