Alex Pereira says he has felt no physical drop-off since moving up to heavyweight and is not concerned with whether a win over Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 would be considered a true three-division championship.
Pereira faces Gane for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship on June 14 at the White House. A win would make him the first fighter in UFC history to claim a version of the title in three separate weight classes, having previously held the middleweight and light heavyweight titles.
Speaking to MMA Junkie through an interpreter, Pereira said the move up has gone smoothly.
“In terms of going for heavyweight, it’s nice because no restrictions. I’ve been eating clean and eating good. It’s been fun. In terms of performance, I feel the exact same. Obviously it’s not possible to bulk up to a much higher weight class, bigger, and not lose maybe a little bit of speed. We’ll see in the fight. But I feel the exact same. I just added, but didn’t lose anything.”
On the debate over whether an interim title counts toward the historic achievement, Pereira was dismissive.
“If it’s lineal, if it’s interim — for me, it doesn’t matter. Obviously I’ve heard people talking about that, that it’s not the lineal belt and this and that. What is the point of me trying to defend myself? I just want to keep fighting and making my money and let people talk, and whatever they decide for me is good.”