Plinio Cruz Now Faces Pereira's Coach Gary Olive in Boxing Switch

The matchmaking just took a hard left turn. Chase DeMoor has pulled out of his scheduled boxing bout with an injury, and the replacement isn't another influencer or a tune-up name. It's Gary Olive, a coach himself, stepping in to fight Plinio Cruz — the man recognized as UFC Coach of the Year.

That turns a straightforward booking into a genuine battle of the corners. Cruz is best known as one of the key voices behind Alex Pereira, the former two-weight UFC champion who currently sits at #3 in the light heavyweight rankings with a 13-4 record and 11 knockouts. His coach stepping into a ring and swinging for real is the kind of crossover you don't script.

Olive didn't get much warning. He's slotting in on short notice for a DeMoor fight that was already set, which means little time to adjust his camp, his weight or his game plan. Short-notice fights rarely favor the man stepping in, but they also scramble everyone's prep — including Cruz's.

Why This Got Interesting Fast

A coach-versus-coach bout carries a different kind of pressure than the usual spectacle fights. These are men who build fighters for a living, now forced to prove they can execute what they teach. Cruz's résumé is tied to Pereira's power — the Brazilian has finished nearly every one of his wins by knockout — and there's an obvious curiosity about whether that striking philosophy shows up in his own corner-man-turned-combatant.

There's also the context of where Pereira himself sits. His last outing ended in a second-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane, and he's expected next in a title eliminator with an opponent still to be named. A camp that's regrouping at the top of the division now has its head coach preparing for his own fight — an unusual split of focus during a crucial stretch.

For now, the headline writes itself: two trainers, one ring, and a replacement nobody saw coming. DeMoor's injury opened the door, and Olive walked straight through it. Whether that proves brave or reckless is the only thing left to settle.