Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes are confident that fellow Brazilian star Alex Pereira leaves Salt Lake City as UFC light heavyweight champion at UFC 307, but disagree about his future with the company.
Oliveira, a former UFC lightweight champion, likes “Poatan” going back to middleweight or pursuing a historic feat, while Lopes approves a heavyweight showdown against the man currently holding interim gold, Tom Aspinall.
“A fight that would be really interesting for everybody would be against Aspinall because that way [Pereira] wouldn’t have to stress his body going down as much in weight for 185,” Lopes said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “He would be fighting at his natural weight, basically, with no weight cut. I think the Aspinall fight would interest people the most.”
“I think it would be insane to win three belts,” Oliveira told MMA Fighting. “‘Poatan’ is a big guy so he would be gigantic [at heavyweight], too. I guess he has to think what’s best for him. Can he make weight [at 185] and feel good going back down again? That would be good for him, and I think he would definitely wins [against Dricus Du Plessis]. If he goes up that would be great, because then he would have three belts, but whatever his team decides, his coach Plinio [Cruz] is good.”
Pereira enters his third defense of the UFC light heavyweight belt in 2024 against Rountree after knocking out Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka with ease at UFC 300 and UFC 303 respectively. The decision to award Rountree a shot at UFC gold was a surprise to many, including Oliveira, but Lopes believes that makes him a dangerous opponent.
“It’s a very interesting fight,” Lopes said. “It’s something that has happened quite often in the UFC lately, someone down the rankings fighting for the belt — or facing a top-ranked fighter. And you know, when people from the bottom get an opportunity like that, they come in hungry. I think that’s how Khalil comes in this fight. But ‘Poatan’ has looked unstoppable, right? It’s going to be an interesting fight because it’s 100 percent striking. Khalil has never shot for a takedown in his career, and ‘Poatan’ has takedowns although he’s a natural striker. It’s a very interesting fight, and I think ‘Poatan’ wins.”
Oliveira was “very surprised” by the match-up, and sees Rountree as “a dangerous guy with great power in his hand” against the former two-division GLORY kickboxing champion.
“Not taking away anything from anyone or thinking ‘Poatan’ is a superhero,” Oliveira said. “But I think ‘Poatan’ has a good chance knocking out any striker that fights him. He’s just too calm, too precise, too relaxed, to hit at the right time. I think that’s another person he will knock out to defend this belt. It’s hard for any striker to knock out ‘Poatan’ because he’s too calm and relaxed. He waits for the right moment to attack — and when he connects, his hands hit hard.”
As Pereira prepares to face Rountree at UFC 307, Lopes will serve as the backup fighter at the following pay-per-view later this month, ready to step in as a replacement for champion Ilia Topuria or Max Holloway at UFC 307 on Oct. 25. Meanwhile, “Do Bronx” Oliveira gears up in camp for a UFC 309 rematch with Michael Chandler, scheduled for Nov. 16 in New York.
