What started as Alex Pereira’s planned jump to heavyweight for a blockbuster showdown with Jon Jones on the UFC’s White House card quickly fell apart. First, when Dana White dismissed the idea, and then when Jones himself revealed ongoing arthritis issues and the possibility of hip surgery, but the speculation didn’t die there. It then shifted toward whispers that Pereira might still vacate his light heavyweight title to chase a rare triple-division run, this time against Ciryl Gane, with talk even stretching to Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg lining up for the now-vacant 205-pound belt at UFC 327. All until White finally stepped in again to answer it all.

“Dana White responds to Alex Pereira fighting Ciryl Gane at,” Octagon Pulse captioned a post on X.

The post included a fan-made poster of Pereira v. Gane on UFC White House. In that same screengrab, a comment from Dana White was highlighted, showing the UFC CEO replying to the poster with a ‘Side eye Chloe’ meme—a reaction that seemingly pours cold water on the rumored matchup and hints it was never in the works.

This development follows ‘Poatan’ offering a promising update of his own, revealing that his next fight is close to being finalized.

“We are talking about some things,” Pereira told Valter Walker. “My next fight, we’ve already started conversations. It took a little while, but it’s very close to something being announced.”

In a subsequent Instagram post, the 38-year-old also shared his current weight—242.5 lbs—fueling speculation that his next appearance could come in the heavyweight division. The Brazilian is coming off a rematch victory over Magomed Ankalaev last year.

Meanwhile, Cyril Gane’s own future remains somewhat unclear, as Tom Aspinall continues to recover from a double eye poke sustained in their fight last year. In the meantime, Pereira himself has shared his thoughts on his next steps.

Alex Pereira is ready for whatever Dana White has in store for him

After Alex Pereira learned about Jon Jones’ arthritis, he was understanding of Jones’ situation.

“I think every athlete has chronic injuries, serious injuries,” Pereira told Valter Walker. “If a high-level athlete says something like that, for the history he has, it’s not new to me.

“Whoever they put in front of me, I’ll be fighting,” Pereira said. “I love fighting, so it doesn’t matter weight classes… At the other two divisions, light heavyweight and heavyweight, [the opponent] is indifferent to me.”

With Jones out of the picture, Alex Pereira is ready for whoever Dana White and the UFC have planned for him. Furthermore, aside from a potential clash with Carlos Ulberg, Alex Pereira has already defeated every top-ranked light heavyweight in the 205 division. It’s fair to say the reigning champion is beginning to run short on fresh contenders—unless he’s willing to face challengers lower in the rankings or the promotion greenlights a long-discussed move up to heavyweight.

At this point, Pereira’s next fight remains uncertain. With limited options at 205 pounds and intriguing possibilities in a higher division, the UFC has some pivotal decisions to make. Only time will reveal who ultimately stands across the Octagon from ‘Poatan’ next. Who do you think Pereira should face in his next bout?