Anthony Smith explains why former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira will “have problems” at light heavyweight: “That dude will make him look tiny”

UFC fighter Anthony Smith has explained why he thinks Alex Pereira could end up having some problems up at light heavyweight.

Earlier this month, Alex Pereira fell short in his rematch against Israel Adesanya. He was knocked out by his rival and in addition to that, he lost his UFC middleweight championship. In the immediate aftermath, the Brazilian announced that he’d be moving to light heavyweight for his next fight in the UFC.

It’s a move that, for many, seemed inevitable. He’s a large 185-pounder and as such, it felt natural for him to test the waters up at 205 eventually.

Of course, he isn’t expected to walk his way to another title shot – he first has to prove himself. In the eyes of Anthony Smith, though, that’ll be easier said than done.

“It is what it is. It’s just another dude,” Smith said. “I think he’s gonna have problems at 205. He’s a monster Light Heavyweight. Like, put that dude next to Aleksandar Rakic and that dude will make him look tiny. He’s just a regular-sized 205er in the Top 7 or 8. Obviously, I’m a little bit on the smaller side compared to some of those guys. Jan Blachowicz is big, Jiri Prochazka is big, Jamahal Hill is big, Magomed Ankalaev is big, Aleksandar Rakic is absolutely huge. His size was a huge advantage at 185.

Smith questions Pereira

“I think he’s great, I think he’s a fantastic striker,” he continued. “There’s more grapplers and guys that are — I guess I can’t really say that, there are a lot of grapplers at 185, too. Just none that he ran into. Ankalaev would get a takedown on him, it’s just if Pereira can get up. I would rather see him with Rakic.”

Quotes via MMA Mania

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