Reigning light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, wants to move up to heavyweight for a UFC White House showdown opposite Jon Jones when the promotion hits Washington, D.C., in June 2026. Working in “Poatan’s” favor is the fact that “Bones” is equally excited about their potential super fight.
UFC CEO Dana White … not so much.
The promotion has a new practice of stripping champions who change weight classes, so a move to heavyweight would force Pereira to surrender his 205-pound strap. As a result,
Carlos Ulberg — widely considered the top light heavyweight contender — would have to compete for a vacant crown.
Likely against this ex-champion.
“I’d love to fight Alex,” Ulberg told MMA Junkie. “That’s the big fight. That’s the money fight. That’s an entertaining fight. That’s the fight fans would love to see and watch. I hope that he sticks around the light heavyweight division so that I can fight Pereira. That would be amazing. That would be the fight that I always wanted. You beat someone like Alex, that just means you’re at the top level. This is putting all the guys out of the picture, but I want Alex.”
Ulberg wants Alex, but Alex wants to eat.
The good news for Ulberg is that heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall remains tied up with Ciryl Gane for the foreseeable future and White is not in any big hurry to book the unreliable Jones for a card as important as UFC White House. When it comes time for Pereira’s next fight, “Black Jag” may be his only option.
