“Poatan” has put on weight.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is just days away from attempting to make UFC history by winning a third title in a third division as he takes on multiple-time Heavyweight title challenger, Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 this weekend (Sun., June 14, 2026) on the White House’s South Lawn in Washington, D.C., to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
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According to ESPN, Pereira has checked into UFC Freedom 250 fight week at 258 pounds.
And yeah, he looks every bit of it.
Now, with media day in the books, Pereira has taken his official fighter portrait as a Heavyweight, which means everyone can finally compare “Poatan” from Middleweight to Light Heavyweight to Heavyweight.
Check out the side-by-side comparison below, from 185 pounds to 205 pounds to 258 pounds.
Obviously, putting on more than 50 pounds is a lot. But after seeing Pereira’s new Heavyweight frame, plenty of fans are convinced he didn’t exactly do it the “right” way.
“Where is his muscle?” one fan wrote.
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“HW Alex is just out of shape Alex,” another fan added.
“He basically ate like a fat f—k and said, ‘I’m a heavyweight now,’” another fan wrote.
“I mean he just grew a gut, it ain’t that hard,” another fan added.
“Ciryl Gane is going to mop the floor with this guy,” another fan predicted.
Another fan went even harder.
“Dude ballooned up by eating everything in sight and probably some ‘help’ along the way,” the fan wrote. “At 258 lbs he looks soft compared to the shredded MW version that actually looked dangerous. Real heavyweights are built like that naturally or stay athletic — this feels like a desperate cash grab before the chin gets tested by actual big boys who can wrestle.”
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And the jokes kept coming.
“They genuinely locked him in the cafeteria until he got to HW. Man, I love the UFC so much sometimes.”
“He just don’t wanna cut weight anymore. Chama.”
“73 lbs from his original weight. That’s like Chito Vera fighting Carlos Ulberg at 205 for the title.”
Of course, Pereira is not the first fighter to get roasted over a Heavyweight transformation photo. Jon Jones received similar treatment when his Heavyweight portrait made the rounds online, so much so that he eventually had to respond to the haters.
Now, Pereira is getting the same treatment.
It will be interesting to see what “Poatan” officially weighs in at in just three days when he steps on the scale for UFC Freedom 250.
Any guesses?
For more UFC White House fight card news and coverage click HERE.
