Alex Pereira is finally making the transition to heavyweight, but according to ‘Poatan,’ the UFC White House was never meant to be the stage for it.

With less than two weeks until his clash with Ciryl Gane, Alex Pereira admitted that discussions about moving up had started much earlier. On June 14, the Brazilian superstar will compete for the interim heavyweight title, and if he wins, he would become the first fighter in UFC history to win belts in three different weight classes.

Given the magnitude of that achievement, many assumed the UFC had always planned for Alex Pereira to make his heavyweight debut at Freedom 250. As it turned out, this was not the case.

Speaking recently to UFC on Paramount, ‘Poatan’ confessed that the organization originally wanted him at heavyweight much earlier this year, when the UFC kicked off its new era on Paramount.

“I think the right moment is now,” he said. “At certain points before, but I don’t really remember when, we could have already moved up to heavyweight, but it would have felt a bit forced. Not now. Now it’s happening very naturally, in a perfect fight.

“The fight was supposed to happen earlier, at the first event of the year, but for a few reasons it didn’t happen, and now this has become a big moment.”

With undisputed champion Tom Aspinall sidelined due to an eye injury, the UFC was considering holding an interim title fight starring one of its biggest stars. However, according to Pereira, everything came together at the right time. And it’s hard to argue with that assessment.

Not only is Alex Pereira fighting for a heavyweight belt, but he’s doing it on arguably the biggest card in UFC history. The White House event has become one of the most anticipated spectacles in the promotion’s history, and ‘Poatan’ now finds himself in the co-main event, with the opportunity to achieve something no fighter has ever done before.

Perhaps the most intriguing revelation from Alex Pereira’s interview involved his weight. For years, people watched him go through brutal cuts to reach middleweight and light heavyweight. Now, the Brazilian is entering fight week at a completely different size.

‘Poatan’ expects to weigh about 242 pounds on fight night. That’s the same weight he started cutting at before reaching the 205-pound light heavyweight limit.

“Around [242 pounds],” Pereira said. “Not too heavy; I was heavier before, though. I got up to [258 pounds], and then I gradually started cutting back down.

“I was at [242 pounds], then I dropped to [205 pounds]. Now doing the math is difficult.”

More importantly, he seems happier than ever. Instead of spending camp worrying about losing significant amounts of weight, Alex Pereira can concentrate solely on training for Ciryl Gane.

And if all goes as planned on June 14, the heavyweight move that once seemed premature could end up becoming the most historic decision of his career. However, it won’t be an easy fight, as even Ciryl Gane is planning to go all-out against Alex Pereira.

Ciryl Gane promises the Alex Pereira fight will be much more than a striking matchup

Part of what makes this bout so intriguing is that almost everyone anticipates it to look like a high-level kickboxing match with four-ounce gloves. After all, ‘Poatan’ established himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in combat sports, and ‘Bon Gamin’ has long been considered one of the most technical and agile heavyweights in MMA.

On paper, it appears to be the ideal recipe for a stand-up war. However, the Frenchman believes this assumption may be incorrect. Speaking to UFC on Paramount, Ciryl Gane pushed back against the idea that he plans to spend twenty-five minutes trading punches and kicks with ‘Poatan.’

“I don’t want to say it’s going to be 100% a striking matchup,” he said. “This is MMA, and everybody knows I can do also some wrestling, some takedowns, and some stuff like that.

“I can finish the fight also on the ground, so I’m not going to say 100% it’s going to be a striking matchup.”

For a fighter who is often criticized for not fully utilizing his physical tools, it was a significant statement ahead of his toughest bout yet. It is unclear whether Ciryl Gane will be able to put that strategy into action.

Plenty have entered fights against Pereira believing they could exploit perceived weaknesses in his overall MMA game, only to learn that doing so is far easier said than done. After all, the Brazilian has quietly developed into a difficult fighter to control, posting an impressive takedown defense rate while continuously improving his grappling.

That means ‘Bon Gamin’ may have to prove that he can do more than threaten a takedown. If he actually wants to become the interim heavyweight champion, he’ll need to force Alex Pereira into challenging situations that few opponents have been able to create in recent years.