Alex Pereira's heavyweight move has carried one clear question. Despite his height, many doubted whether he would look natural beside men who have spent years inside UFC's heavier division.
Pereira joined the promotion as a middleweight, rose to light heavyweight, and is now moving up for the second time. That journey has made his physical fit a major talking point.
Those doubts are already being challenged. Every new glimpse of Pereira suggests he may stack up better than expected, even before he shares the cage with an established heavyweight.
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Sean O'Malley has offered an uncommon measure of Pereira's heavyweight transformation after seeing him while testing UFC's special kits for the White House card.
The former UFC bantamweight champion said Pereira's glutes caught his attention, leaving him stunned by how much size he carried.
In the latest video on his YouTube channel, 'Suga' said: "I've never seen a guy that looked like he got a BBL. Alex Pereira's a— is bigger than a Miami b——'s BBL.
O'Malley added: "I was in shock, I was like 'Holy s—!' He's eaten whatever the f— his coach is eating. I wonder what he weighs, it's got to be 220 lbs."
Pereira appeared to bulk up during his pre-camp in Brazil, but he has already said he planned to lose some weight before his heavyweight debut.
Now, just over four weeks from the White House card, the two-weight champion appears to be trimming down rather than chasing the heaviest possible version of himself.
That matters against Ciryl Gane. 'Poatan' needs enough strength to survive heavyweight exchanges, but his cardio, speed and timing remain vital to making this second move up work.
O'Malley's reaction shows Pereira is already dropping jaws physically. The bigger question is whether his final fight-week shape leaves him powerful, sharp and mobile enough.
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