Alex Pereira Open to Light Heavyweight Return for Paulo Costa Fight
Alex Pereira said he is open to a light heavyweight return for a Paulo Costa fight if the heavyweight title path closes. The former two-division champion still wants Ciryl Gane and a third belt. He also told Costa to stop talking and get in the cage.
Pereira (13-4) lost a second-round TKO to Gane in their interim heavyweight title fight at the White House on June 14. The stoppage came at 1:27 of round two and ended his bid to become the UFC’s first three-division champion. He has said he wants the rematch. Costa has spent the last week questioning why Pereira is still ranked at 205 after moving up and losing at heavyweight.
That is what pulled Pereira into the argument. He said he generally does not like talking about other fighters. He answered because Costa would not leave his name alone.
“How long has Borrachinha been in the game?” Pereira said. “I mean, look at everything I’ve achieved and what he’s achieved. Let’s just fight. Just fight and put it behind us. The guy knows that talking about me gets him noticed. It gets him attention. And look, I’m the kind of guy who can get a bit fired up.”
Costa (16-4) knocked out Azamat Murzakanov in the third round at UFC 327 in April in his return to light heavyweight. He has one fight left on his UFC deal, has asked for his release, and just signed Eddie Hearn to manage him and his sponsorships. He wanted an interim title shot at UFC 332 while Carlos Ulberg recovers from ACL surgery. The UFC did not give it to him.
Pereira’s first choice is still 265. He is 39. He said the clock is the point.
“I really want to fight at heavyweight because I’m 39 years old, it’s ending,” he said. “I still have a chance to conquer this thing. I have a chance and that’s what I want.”
Then he named the fallback. If he decides the heavyweight shot is not real, he said he would call Hunter Campbell and ask for Costa. “Borrachinha wants to fight? Let’s fight, dammit.” He went further on Costa’s contract stance. “Put him with me for his last fight since he doesn’t want to sign. I’ll mess his life up.”
That is a callout with a condition. Pereira has not vacated the idea of Gane. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion and still working back from eye injuries. Gane holds the interim belt. Pereira has already said the fight that makes sense is Gane. Costa is the fight that makes sense only if that door stays shut, or if the UFC wants the Brazilian grudge more than another heavyweight queue.
Costa’s ranking complaint is the match that lit this. He asked why Pereira remains on the light heavyweight list after a heavyweight loss, and why he sits high at heavyweight without a win there. Pereira’s answer was résumé versus résumé. He has been middleweight champion and a two-time light heavyweight champion. Costa has been a title challenger and a man who keeps himself in the conversation by talking.
None of this is a booking. Pereira can still chase 265. Costa still has to fight out one more UFC night or keep asking to leave. Hearn cannot make a Pereira fight. White’s matchmakers can. Ulberg is the 205-pound champion when he is healthy. An interim or a Costa-Pereira five-rounder would only happen if the office decides the names are bigger than the belt math.
Pereira used to pick Costa as a rightful next challenger when he left the division. He is not picking him as a favor now. He is picking him as a problem if Costa keeps using his name. “Let’s f*cking fight,” he said, if the real shot is back at light heavyweight.
The next official step is still unannounced. Pereira wants Gane and the third belt. Costa wants a title or a release. The overlap is a 205-pound fight that would close Costa’s contract and give Pereira a reason to come down. Until Hunter Campbell actually gets that call, it is two Brazilians talking past a ranking list. The cage is the only place that ranking argument ends.