Alex Pereira, the former UFC middleweight champion, poised to contend for the light heavyweight title at UFC 295 against Jiri Prochazka, has vocally supported Dillon Danis as they have trained together.
Pereira stands on the verge of becoming a double champion with UFC as the light heavyweight title on the line at UFC 295. At the media day before this fight, he discussed and explained his interest in seeing Dillon Danis in the UFC.
Alex Pereira talks on Dillon Danis joining UFC
Former middleweight champion Alex Pereira surprised many by endorsing Dillon Danis’ goal of entering the UFC, the premier MMA promotion in the world. The commendation from Alex Pereira has captivated MMA fans and injected excitement into Danis’ potential UFC arrival.
Alex Pereira is rooting for Dillon Danis to get into the UFC 🤝 #UFC295
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) November 8, 2023
“He’s a very talented kid. We had two [training] sessions. He’s a great guy." pic.twitter.com/SEY1H53258
Crowned by his knockout victory over Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title at UFC 281, Pereira lends authority to his support for Danis, with whom he has trained in preparation for Danis’s bout with Logan Paul. Pereira’s backing of Danis showcases their strong mutual respect.
Pereira has observed Danis’ commitment and Brazilian jiu-jitsu prowess during their training. The MMA community now eagerly awaits Dana White’s decision regarding the inclusion of Dillon in the UFC welterweight roster. Despite Danis’ absence from MMA since 2019, his ability to draw a crowd, demonstrated by his crossover boxing bout against Logan Paul, is indisputable.
Alex Pereira on course to become double champ in UFC
UFC 295 was originally scheduled to be headlined by Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. Jones’ injury forced the co-main event of Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira to be elevated to the main event. Having won the middleweight title at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden, Pereira would be looking to add another title to his shelf at the iconic venue that witnessed the greatness of Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan to name a few.
⚔️ Samurai vs Stone Hands 🗿@Jiri_BJP and @AlexPereiraUFC fight for the light heavyweight title SATURDAY at #UFC295! pic.twitter.com/hrYrdjSO3r
— UFC (@ufc) November 8, 2023
In addition to winning the light heavyweight title, Pereira also has the chance to become a double champion in the UFC. No fighter in the UFC has held the middleweight and light-heavyweight titles. Only Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Georges St-Pierre, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo have become double champions in the UFC.
Only McGregor, Cormier, and Cejudo have become simultaneous double champions for the promotion. Alexander Volkanovski was unsuccessful in his two attempts at UFC 284 and UFC 294 against Islam Makhachev. Pereira is a betting favorite at UFC 295, albeit slightly.
If Pereira manages to win at UFC 295, he will be one of the most accomplished combat sports athletes of all time. Having already become a simultaneous double champion at Glory Kickboxing, “Poatan” can have the distinction of being the only two-division champion in two different sports.
Henry Cejudo is a former two-division UFC champion, who was also the 2008 Olympic Gold medalist in wrestling. A win at UFC 295 would make Pereira’s achievement even better. Pereira is already in the Glory Kickboxing Hall of Fame, a win at UFC 295 is an easy ticket to the UFC Hall of Fame.
Do you think Pereira will become the light heavyweight champion at UFC 295? Leave your comment below!
