Alex Pereira’s move to heavyweight sparked many questions, especially after it was revealed that he would no longer be the light heavyweight champion going into his next fight. With the Brazilian set to face Ciryl Gane at the UFC White House event in June, many assumed there had to be conditions behind the scenes for him to vacate the belt. Instead, Pereira claims the scenario was much simpler.

In fact, as per ‘Poatan,’ it all boils down to the new deal he signed with the promotion. Alex Pereira told Ariel Helwani that the UFC gave him a new contract before the fight was booked, and he had no problem relinquishing his title after seeing the terms.

“They gave me a new contract,” Pereira said. “I’m actually really, really happy with my new contract. I want to thank Mick Maynard, Hunter Campbell, and Dana White for it.

With this new deal… I don’t care about letting go of the belt or anything like that. They took really good care of me.”

According to the former light heavyweight champion, the deal was good enough that he placed the decision entirely in the hands of the UFC, even if it meant switching divisions or giving up a championship.

“The way they gave me this last contract was so good that I left it up to them to do whatever they want,” he added. “It doesn’t matter.”

As per reports, the new contract is an eight-fight extension, which may keep Alex Pereira with the promotion for the rest of his career. After all, since joining the UFC in 2021, he has emerged as one of the company’s biggest names.

With the heavyweight change, he now has the opportunity to become the first three-division champion in UFC history, assuming everything goes his way. Alex Pereira is scheduled to face Ciryl Gane on June 14 at the White House, with the interim heavyweight title on the line.

The light heavyweight belt he left behind will be decided separately, but ‘Poatan’ has made it clear that he isn’t looking back at 205 pounds right now. But what he hasn’t let go of is his dream of fighting Jon Jones in the Octagon.

Alex Pereira is confident he can still go one-on-one with Jon Jones

While the switch to heavyweight has opened the door for history, Alex Pereira still envisions one fight that he believes will take place if everything goes as planned. The recent animosity between Jon Jones and the UFC has led many fans to believe the matchup is no longer possible, but ‘Poatan’ disagrees.

Even with Jones missing the White House card, he believes the fight can still come together.

“I believe so, as long as I win this fight,” he said on The Ariel Helwani Show via a translator. “Because otherwise it doesn’t make too much sense. I believe it happens because he’d (Jon Jones) have to be released by the UFC.

I don’t think the UFC is going to release him anytime soon, so if he wants to fight, who’s it going to be against? It’s going to be against me.”

Alex Pereira claimed that after signing his new contract with the promotion, he is totally dedicated to staying active, which is why he still views the fight as a possibility. With him moving to heavyweight and ‘Bones’ still on the roster despite recent troubles, the matchup he has been talking about for months may still materialize if both stay on the same path.