Light heavyweight champion Pereira will be in Strickland’s (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) corner when he challenges middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the Feb. 8 main event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney ( ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

The reigning, defending UFC light heavyweight champion has a tall task in front of him at UFC 313, fighting the #1 contender Magomed Ankalaev in March. A fourth-straight title defense would bring Pereira's stardom to new levels, with people talking about a heavyweight move for "Poatan" - not limited to the gates of the UFC Octagon.

UFC superstar Alex Pereira has called for a fight in boxing against one of that sport's biggest names, hinting that, as Conor McGregor was able to do so in 2017, when he crossed over into boxing from MMA, to compete against Floyd Mayweather, so should he be able to leave the Octagon and take on one of the best boxers in the world today, in 2025.