Michael Bisping agrees with Dana White regarding what’s at stake for Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250.
Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will look to make history by becoming the first three-division champion when he takes on Ciryl Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for the interim heavyweight belt in Sunday’s (Paramount+) co-main event at the White House in Washington.
Dana White said Pereira would surpass Jon Jones as the greatest of all time if he’s able to capture a third UFC belt – granted it being an interim, and Bisping agrees.
“Matchups come into it, but you can’t deny the fact that he would be the only three-weight division champion,” Bisping said in an interview with Casino.org. “It’s never been done before, so you can slice it any way you want. You can say, ‘Who was the only person that became a champion in three weight divisions?’ and it’s Alex Pereira. So he’d be the greatest of all time, then. It’s as simple as that. On accolades alone, it becomes undeniable.”
That being said, Bisping thinks Pereira won’t be able to fully adjust to the heavyweight move when going up against a staple in the division like Gane.
“I said I would never doubt him again after what he did to (Magomed) Ankalaev, knocking him out in like 90 seconds or something, and now here I am potentially doubting him again because he’s put weight on,” Bisping said of Pereira. “He was at 185, he fought at 205, now he’s going up to 265 pounds.
“Can he do it? Of course he can. He has knockout power. But Ciryl Gane is used to taking shots off heavyweights. He’s very light on his feet, he’s very elusive, he’s very good at kickboxing. He’s used to taking heavyweight shots and he’s used to knocking out heavyweights, so I’m leaning toward Ciryl Gane.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC White House: Analyst says Alex Pereira ‘undeniable’ GOAT with win
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