From Alex Pereira’s gym to the ring: Training beast joins RIZIN heavyweights

Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images

Alex Pereira’s teammate is about to face the biggest challenge of his career so far.

Pereira is currently in pre-camp, preparing for his move up to heavyweight ahead of his planned return in June.

He’ll be taking on Ciryl Gane in his debut at the weight class, but building up to the division never looked like it was going to be a problem for him.

If Pereira sticks around at heavyweight for a while, he might not be the only familiar face from his gym. The UFC has shown interest in another fighter from his circle, and there’s growing talk that they could end up sharing a division one day.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

King Edokpolo joins four-man 2026 RIZIN heavyweight Grand Prix line-up

Back in October, King Edokpolo was photographed with Dana White and Hunter Campbell, joined by his coach, Plinio Cruz.

The 25-year-old stands at 6’8” and is undefeated at 2-0, both wins coming by knockout in RIZIN.

Edokpolo’s next step up will be in the newly announced RIZIN heavyweight Grand Prix. The tournament begins on August 11, and he’ll be part of a four-man field that also includes Tsuyoshi Sudario (9-4), Mikio Ueda (5-3), and another fighter still to be confirmed.

The winner will go on to face current champion Alexander Soldatkin (18-4) at the promotion’s New Year’s Eve event.

Cruz is also close to Pereira, so much so that Alex had a quick reply when asked about Edokpolo: “Grande.”

The UFC and RIZIN have worked together recently as well. Kai Asakura and Kyoji Horiguchi were both given the opportunity to compete in the Octagon after rising through Japanese MMA.

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