There are some interesting points of comparison when considering the rise of Alex Pereira. For one, his stardom is apparent to the millions who’ve built it, rather than something fans need to be convinced of, unlike the supposed popularity of the Sphere-headlining Sean O’Malley. Moreover, he’s maintained a McGregor-esque ascent while avoiding similar controversies, escaped the shadow of Israel Adesanya without stooping to his level of immaturity, and become the most beloved Brazilian fighter this side of José Aldo—all while making himself a two-division champion in a combat sport for the second time, having first done so in Glory Kickboxing before his move to MMA.
Granted, when fans and pundits stop talking star power and start discussing GOAT cases, arguments can be made for many other fighters ahead of Pereira. Pioneers like Anderson Silva can hang there hats on history, the Demetrius Johnsons of the world can point to their dominance, and Jon Jones has his unbeaten streak on his side (and Dana White). After duplicating his kickboxing success in a second sport, Alex Pereira has one thing left to do to before he can be included among those greats: He has to move to heavyweight and become the UFC’s first three-division champion.
As the Light Heavyweight Champion prepares to defend his gold at UFC 307 against Khalil Rountree, read on as I look past his opponent, perhaps committing a cardinal combat sport sin in the process, and plot Poatan’s potential road to heavyweight glory.
Throughout the build-up to this fight, Khalil Rountree has repeated some version of the famous last words uttered by most of Alex Pereira’s opponents. Like Sean Strickland, Jamahal Hill, and, to an extent, Jiří Procházka before him, Rountree intends to have a kickboxing match with the most dangerous kickboxer on the planet. This in combination with Rountree’s somewhat star-less resume seems like a recipe for something more reliable than a home-cooked meal at mama’s house—a devastating left hook that’ll put the contender’s lights out.
After making quick work of Rountree, the next step on Alex Pereira’s path to a third belt is ignoring Dricus Du Plesis altogether.
We get it. The guy has an extremely punchable face and seems like the most beatable champion on the roster—although his wins over Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, and Israel Adesanya should be reasons to second guess that notion. But despite how confident Pereira may feel about his chances against the middleweight champ, if he aims to create an iron-clad MMA legacy, moving back down to 185 would literally and figuratively be a regression. He’s won that belt already. Winning it again would be mostly meaningless.
As far as retreads are concerned, Pereira should only be looking in his rearview to get a glimpse at one man.
Before getting his topknot kicked crooked at UFC 303, Jiří Procházka accused Pereira of using “magic” and “spells” to win their previous fight, which is as hilarious as it is bizarre. But on the off chance that’s it’s true, Pereira’s GOAT resume could benefit from a spell that grants Izzy the courage to give 205 a second chance.
In 2021, following a decision loss in his debut light heavyweight bout against then-champion Jan Błachowicz, Adesanya spoke one of his favorite idioms: “Dare to be great.” It’s a saying he’s repeated since, sometimes followed by an affirmation: “And I am.” He said this at a time in his career when language was his own sort of magic, a narrativizing force so powerful it’d turn the world into a manga page and bend destiny into the shape of the anime arc in his head. Somewhere along the way, though, perhaps even before getting beat up by Strickland and choked out by DDP, Adesanya stopped daring to be great and now prefers to assume he already his.
Given the “last goal wins” attitude he’s taken after finally defeating Pereira in his fourth try in two sports, it’s clear, at least to me, what’s stopping the two from completing their MMA trilogy: Adesanya wants no parts of Poatan’s full power at light heavyweight. Despite being visibly more muscular than he was the first time he moved up, having absolutely no interesting matchups left for him at middeweight, and potentially having a better chance against a striker at 205 than he did against a wrestler like Błachowicz, the former champion seems content avoiding another fight with his nemesis. In turn, this makes both of their claims to greatness seem slightly less daring.
Sure, Pereira’s move to heavyweight could and should happen with or without an MMA tie-breaker with Adesanya. But imagine how much more special it’d be if it came after an ancient Brazilian ritual granted Izzy his former spirit and compelled him to complete the greatest UFC rivalry in the modern era.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. In order for Pereira’s move to heavyweight to signify what I think it could, it must follow what’d be his most meaningful title defense at light heavyweight: Another decisive stoppage over Adesanya.
Should Izzy find the courage to once again bang with the big boys, I only see it going one way if the man who’s beaten him three out of four times is standing on the other side of the cage.
If GOAT cases are built on a combination of narrative and accomplishments, then a third belt for Alex Pereira would be slightly diminished if it came without him getting a chance at a rubber match with his greatest foe. While the former would be the more impressive accolade, the latter is essential to both men’s stories as fighters.
Ironically, it could be argued Pereira-Adesanya 3 (or 5) is far more critical to each athlete’s resume than the legacy fight fans are being force fed in November.
I don’t think I’m breaking any news by saying very few people are interested in seeing Jon Jones fight Stipe Miocic in what’ll likely be a retirement fight for both men. Unlike what I’m suggesting with another fight between Pereira and Adesanya, there’s no drama, no intrigue, and ultimately no meaning in the upcoming heavyweight championship bout. Miocic has effectively been retired since 2021 and hasn’t won a fight since 2020, and Jones is ducking Tom Aspinall more flagrantly than Izzy is ducking Poatan, which is saying something.
In a perfect world, this step would be called “Beat Jon Jones,” as that’d perhaps put Pereira in GOAT contention with or without a heavyweight belt around his waist. But that can’t happen because Jones is intent on ending his career facing a 42-year-old coming off a vicious knockout and an interminable layoff. So, instead, all Pereira has to do upon his arrival at heavyweight is sit back and await the next undisputed king of the division.
Part of what’s so unfortunate about Pereira not getting to fight Jones is I don’t think he can beat Tom Aspinall. The Interim Heavyweight Champion has a combination of size and athleticism that the Brazilian hasn’t had to face at 185 or 205, plus he has youth on his side.
I know what you’re thinking: “You’re saying Alex Pereira has a better chance against Jon Jones than Tom Aspinall?!” Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Because despite remaining unbeaten, Jones ended his run at 205 on a visible decline and is now returning to heavyweight following a catastrophic injury. Tom Aspinall is the far more dangerous opponent today given those circumstances.
A win over Aspinall wouldn’t be impossible, especially with Pereira’s one-punch power and Tom’s subtle defensive recklessness on the feet. But if we’re plotting a path to Poatan’s third belt in the UFC, there are easier roads to get there that don’t go through the UK.
Without Jon Jones in the picture, the pickings at heavyweight will be so slim that the first fighter to challenge Aspinall’s eventual undisputed gold will likely be either a man he’s already beaten or a man who just lost a title shot two fights ago. This bodes well for Alex Pereira as far as his hopes for a belt in a third division are concerned.
Do I think either Alexander Volkov or Ciryl Gane stand a chance against Tom Aspinall? Not really, no. But let’s face it, like other greats before him, a part of what has helped Alex Pereira’s MMA resume has been accruing favorable matchups. A realistic roadmap for him to realize three-division glory would have to include a lesser heavyweight than Aspinall. So, whether the Englishman slips on a banana peel, catches a cold, or comes down with a serious case of the yips, in my mind, he must relinquish his belt to either Volkov or Gane before Pereira gets a crack at it.
Would this make a heavyweight title for Pereira less impressive? Only if you found similar reasons to diminish his championships at middelweight and light heavyweight. Luckily for me, I’m not that boring. But if you are, even after becoming the UFC’s first three-divsion champion, Alex Pereira will likely have to complete one more step before being considered a combat sports GOAT.
Which is…
Despite capturing belts across three different weight classes in this entirely made-up fantasy of mine, clearly, legally becoming Jon Jones is the only way Alex Pereira can cement himself as the pound-for-pound king. Though this isn’t at all the same thing as being the GOAT (no matter what Dana White says), the privilege of simply being Jon Jones seems to go along way when discussing the greatness of current competitors—inactivity, blatant ducking, and deserving challengers be damned.
Truth be told, the concept of a GOAT itself is as contrived as this scenario I’ve laid out. It’s all cherrypicked stats and storytelling. Nothing proves this more than Dana White’s unwavering devotion to Jon Jones. But to me, that’s what makes sports so compelling, the natural drama that occurs as competitors and spectators alike attempt to make narrative sense out of wins and losses. It’s a joy to witness an athlete like Pereira tap into such authentic gladiatorial theater, especially at a time when hype trains are promoted to fans so relentlessly the whole thing starts to feel like pro wrestling.
My only fear is that looking past Pereira’s current act with Rountree may interrupt the show and come back to haunt me. But only time will tell.
