UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has piqued fan interest with an announcement that he’s signed a new deal with the UFC.
38-year-old ‘Poatan’ is undoubtedly the promotion’s biggest star, reclaiming the light heavyweight throne to become a three-time champion in 2025. He fights Ciryl Gane for the chance to become the UFC’s first three-division champion at the UFC White House event this June.
UFC has come under some unprecedented flak these last few months, with big names like Ronda Rousey slamming UFC execs as she prepares to fight for the promotion’s biggest competition in a long time on Netflix. Not only is the Netflix MMA event looking to draw eyes away from the market leader, but it’s also giving fighters other commercial options.
Alex Pereira signs eight-fight deal with UFC
That’s why it came as a shock when Pereira announced a new eight-fight deal with the UFC during an interview with Ariel Helwani — a deal that could last until he retires altogether. Pereira has had stellar activity in the UFC, but eight fights could easily see him locked inside the promotion for at least the next five years.
The news comes as a shock, seeing as world boxing would secure Pereira the biggest payday of his career in a single fight. Eight fights put Pereira in the same boat as Jon Jones, who is also locked into his contract with the UFC until he fights it out, leaving cross-promotion and fights in other sports completely off the table.
What’s next for Alex Pereira?
That might be it for the twilight of Pereira’s career, unless injunctive relief from multiple class-action lawsuits can change the definition of his employment. Currently, all UFC fighters are contractors, which makes it tougher to fight for their rights to better treatment, fairer pay, and non-predatory contracts.
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