“If Izzy is controlling you..,” Light heavyweight veteran warns Alex Pereira ahead of bold move to 205 division

Light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith warned Alex Pereira about moving to the 205-pound division. Smith pointed out his wrestling weakness.

“If Izzy is controlling you..,” Light heavyweight veteran warns Alex Pereira ahead of bold move to 205 division

Anthony Smith warns Alex Pereira about move to the 205-pound division (Image via Gettys /Bleacher report)

Alex Pereira has decided to move to the light heavyweight division after losing to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. Reports suggested that Pereira cut almost 45 pounds to reach the weight limit for his bout against Adesanya. Cutting an enormous amount of weight remains unhealthy, and Pereira decided to move to the light heavyweight division to better care for his health. However, one light heavyweight fighter warned Pereira about moving to the 205-pound division.

Anthony Smith is a former light heavyweight title challenger. He has fought only the top fighters in the 205-pound division. Smith talked about Pereira’s move into the division. He said, “It is what it is. It’s just another dude. He’s just a regular-sized 205er in the Top 7 or 8. Obviously, I’m a little bit on the smaller side compared to some of those guys.” Smith believes Alex Pereira will not have a size advantage as he did in the middleweight division.

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Alex Pereira entered the UFC with the intent to hunt down Israel Adesanya in MMA. The rivalry between the two fighters started seven years ago in the sport of kickboxing. Pereira defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing bouts and proceeded to TKO him inside the octagon at UFC 281. However, he lost the rematch via KO in the Miami PPV card.

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Anthony Smith will fight Johnny Walker at UFC on ABC 4 in North Carolina. Smith will look to defeat Walker to move up in the rankings. Dana White and the UFC have yet to book a new opponent for Pereira in the light heavyweight division. However, if the stars align, Smith might be the one who welcomes Pereira into the light heavyweight division.

Related: “He’s just a regular-sized 205er,” Veteran Anthony Smith warns Alex Pereira ahead of bold light heavyweight move after Izzy loss

Anthony Smith warns Alex Pereira with Israel Adesanya reference

Anthony Smith
Anthony Smith (Image via ESPN)

At the UFC Charlotte media day, Smith faced many questions about his upcoming fight against Johnny Walker. A reporter asked him about fighting Alex Pereira. Smith liked the idea of welcoming Pereira into the light heavyweight division. He also indicated exploiting Pereira’s weakness in a potential bout.

Smith said, “Yeah, I would love that fight. I’m a big fan of Alex. I’m a big kickboxing fan, so I knew who Alex Pereira was before he even came to the MMA side. But, if Izzy is blast-doubling you and controlling you on the ground, a guy like (Aleksander) Rakic, or (Magomed) Ankalaev or (Jan) Blachowicz or myself are gonna give you the same problems.”

Fight fans look forward to witnessing how a dangerous striker like Alex Pereira will fare in the light heavyweight division. Pereira comes from a kickboxing background and has struggled against wrestlers in his career. The light heavyweight division consists of high-level wrestlers like Ankalaev and Rakic, who can easily exploit Pereira’s wrestling weakness. Only time will tell if Smith made correct predictions about Pereira’s future in the light heavyweight division.

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