A former UFC champion made a bold suggestion for a matchup he’d like to see Alex Pereira in.
This past weekend, several notable fights at UFC Qatar led to discussions about what could be next at the top of the lightweight and welterweight divisions.
Arman Tsarukyan’s dominant win over Dan Hooker led to many believing that he should be the next lightweight title challenger, with Ian Machado Garry also making an argument at 170 pounds.
While Jon Jones has his sights firmly set on Alex Pereira, a legend of the sport recently made a surprising suggestion regarding the light heavyweight champion when reflecting on the action from November 22.
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Who should get the next lightweight title shot?
Michael Bisping wants to see Alex Pereira face Volkan Oezdemir
If he doesn’t wait to fight Jon Jones at the White House in 2026, it seems likely that Carlos Ulberg will be the next man to challenge Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title.
Ulberg, who recently stopped Dominick Reyes, has won nine UFC fights to bounce back from a loss on his debut to Kennedy Nzechukwu in 2021.
Michael Bisping didn’t say that it should be next for ‘Poatan’, and admitted that it’s very unlikely that it ever happens, but he did put forward a different matchup to the likes of Jones and ‘Black Jag’.
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Volkan Oezdemir produced a stunning first-round knockout over Alonzo Menifield this past weekend to bounce back from a loss to Ulberg in November of 2024.
Speaking on the Believe You Me podcast, Bisping said he’d quickly sign up to see ‘No Time’ face off with the current champion due to their all-action styles.
“Call me crazy but I kind of want to see, and I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, Oezdemir vs Alex Pereira. I think that would be a phenomenal fight. Am I crazy?”
“I don’t think you’re crazy,” fellow UFC commentator Paul Felder responded. “I think that would be a fun fight. I mean, I think obviously I give the edge to Pereira but I think while it lasts, it would be a round of a lot of punching to the face. There’s no doubt about that because Oezdemir only fights one way.”
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Volkan Oezdemir fought for a UFC title in just his fourth Octagon appearance
In 2017, the UFC’s light heavyweight division was in need of new contenders at the top of the division, which Volkan Oezdemir capitalized on.
Oezdemir knocked out the likes of Jimi Manuwa to earn three consecutive victories in his first year with the promotion, being named the UFC newcomer of the year as a result.
The rapid climb of ‘No Time’ saw him challenge Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC 220 in January of 2018.
Cormier, who dominated his challenger before stopping him in the second round, has often joked about how confident he was heading into this title defense.
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