Whittaker is one fight into his new weight class, and he is not hiding who he wants if Pereira’s heavyweight experiment ends badly.
“It would be great [to fight Pereira], I would love to welcome him back to light heavyweight, it would be fun,” the former UFC middleweight champion told Submission Radio.
The pitch lands at an awkward moment for Pereira. The two-time former light heavyweight champion lost his heavyweight debut to Ciryl Gane in June, and he returns on December 12 against Sergei Pavlovich in the UFC 335 co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
A second loss at 265 pounds would end the heavyweight run. Pereira told reporters in October that he had already made up his mind.
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“If I lose, I’m not going to stay at heavyweight,” Pereira said. “Everyone knows I’m lighter than all those heavyweights. So I’m not going to keep trying to match their strength when I could do something else and be better off.”
Whittaker’s own 205-pound reset
Whittaker’s move up was its own reset. He went to light heavyweight after back-to-back losses at middleweight, and stopped Nikita Krylov in the third round at UFC 329 on July 12.
Next up is Bogdan Guskov at UFC Sydney on February 7, 2027, with Whittaker co-headlining the Afterpay Arena card.
Two fights at 205 pounds is a slim resumé for a title conversation. But Pereira is the name that draws cameras, and Whittaker is one of the few former champions already in the division when Pereira comes knocking.
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A title picture with no champion in it
The division Whittaker and Pereira are circling is stuck. Carlos Ulberg knocked out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327 in April to win the title, and tore his ACL in the same fight. The New Zealander is targeting a return in early 2027.
Pereira has previously said he would push for a title shot straight away if he dropped back to 205 pounds. Whittaker’s callout puts another name in the way.
Pereira fights Pavlovich on December 12. Whittaker fights Guskov on February 7. Nothing is booked between them.
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