UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who won a match despite fracturing a toe, has been advised by his manager Jorge Guimarães to rest and heal before his next fight, dismissing the idea of Pereira fighting 21 days later at UFC 301.
Alex Pereira, UFC light heavyweight champ, is a tough cookie. Even with a fractured toe, he knocked out Jamahal Hill in the first round of UFC 300. And guess what? He broke another toe during the fight. Despite this, he’s keen on fighting again in just 21 days at UFC 301. His manager, Jorge Guimarães, though, wants to pump the brakes on that idea.
Guimarães spilled the beans on the Trocação Franca podcast. He said Pereira was worried about his injury before UFC 300. But, he was adamant about fighting, saying, “I want to fight no matter how.” Now that he’s defended his title successfully, Guimarães thinks it’s time for Pereira to chill and heal up before his next bout.
“No way that’s happening,” Guimarães said about Pereira fighting on May 4 in Rio. He’s got another broken toe to deal with. Guimarães thinks he should take a break, let the dust settle, and celebrate his win. Maybe he could go to Brazil to watch the event, but no fighting for him. Not yet.
Tom Aspinall, the UFC interim heavyweight champ, was at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. He even posted a pic on social media watching Pereira get ready to step into the octagon. Guimarães joked that Pereira’s performance made Aspinall’s hair stand on end. But, he thinks talk of a champion vs. champion clash in Manchester, likely in July, is “premature.”
“I don’t think fighting Pereira is a good idea for Aspinall right now,” Guimarães said. “It’s too soon. Aspinall is the interim champ, why risk fighting ‘Poatan’? Doesn’t make much sense for Aspinall. For us, though, it’s a great idea.”
Guimarães says the plan is for Pereira to defend his light heavyweight title next. But, he’s not ruling out a move to heavyweight if the UFC makes a good offer.
“Pereira’s got the desire,” Guimarães said. “And I’ll tell you, he’d do an incredible job at heavyweight. He’s a tough fight for anyone in that division. He’s hungry to fight. He feels his time is running out, and he wants to achieve as much as he can. He’s super confident, and I think he’d shine at heavyweight. Let’s see what the UFC has for us. But, he won’t be fighting in Rio de Janeiro.”