Alex Pereira reveals reason why future move to boxing is ‘kind of impossible’

Alex Pereira has ruled out a boxing career, even after his UFC tenure ends. The former two-division UFC champion, who is 39 years old and has seven fights remaining on his contract, dismissed the possibility during an interview ahead of his coach Plinio Cruz's boxing return with Misfits Boxing this weekend. When asked whether he might pursue boxing after retiring from MMA, Pereira was blunt: "No, I'm fine." He noted that the timeline makes such a transition impractical given his age and contractual obligations.

Pereira is set to face Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of UFC 335 in December in a heavyweight bout. This fight comes after a disappointing loss to Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House in June, when Pereira was stopped in the second round. Pereira has contested that result, arguing referee Herb Dean made poor judgment calls, particularly regarding strikes to the back of his head.

Despite that setback, Pereira retains meaningful opportunities to vie for heavyweight gold. A win over Pavlovich would strengthen his case for another title shot and keep his pursuit of a third UFC divisional crown alive. For now, however, his focus remains squarely on MMA competition rather than any crossover into professional boxing.