No Longer A UFC Champion, Alex Pereira Is Scheduled To Fight Oleksandr Usyk Next September

Former UFC lightweight heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is set to challenge Oleksandr Usyk in a duel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next September. (The Ring)

JAKARTA Former UFC lightweight champion from Brazil, Alex Pereira may have lost his title after being defeated by Magomed Ankalaev of Russia in the UFC 313 fight in Las Vegas, Saturday (8/3/2025). Even so, Pereira will not miss the opportunity to make a big fee.

The 37-year-old MMA fighter will actually get a collapsing durian, after being scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk. The duel between the former UFC champion and the heavyweight world champion is planned to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September.

The plan came to light after the Head of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Turkey Alalshikh formed a new promotional effort. GEA is a business entity like Saudi Arabia's BUMN, which is responsible for all kinds of entertainment in the country.

Alalshikh collaborates with well-known people in the online sports business, including Dana White from UFC and Mark Shapiro from TKO Group Holding Inc.

This partnership will be an important marker for players and fans of combat sports, especially boxing. We will jointly develop existing talents and hold world-class shows, when various difficulties hit this business," Alalshikh was quoted as saying by The Ring.

Pereira herself expressed her joy at hearing the plan that she would be paired against Usyk, one of the best boxers in the world today.

"I'm definitely very happy and honored. Who knows the plan will actually take place in September. To be sure, Usyk and I are both interested in fighting in the ring," said Pereira, Thursday (6/3/2025).

"I don't know if the fight will, if it does, it will be bigger than the Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Conor McGregor duel in 2017. Maybe my and Usyk's names aren't as popular as the two of them, but who knows," said Pereira again.

Usyk himself once stated that he would end his boxing career in a fight was very expensive. And he named Pereira as one of the candidates.

"Maybe I will have my final fight against Alex Pereira, maybe. But why not? He also wants the duel," said Usyk (38 years old), an unbeaten boxer from Ukraine to TNT Sports at the end of February.

Pereira is actually scheduled to face UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. He is trying to become the first MMA fighter to become the champion in three different classes, having previously won the middle and light heavyweight.

After being defeated by Ankalaev, the plan against Jones was most likely to float. But that doesn't mean Alex Pereira, nicknamed 'Poatan' or Batu's head, loses the opportunity to gain popularity, as well as a big fee, if the incident happened to Oleksandr Usyk.