Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
There are some interesting points of comparison when considering the rise of Alex Pereira. First, his stardom is not something fans need to be convinced of, unlike the supposed popularity of Sphere headliner Sean O’Malley, but rather something that is clear to the millions of people who have built it. is. Moreover, he has maintained a McGregor-like rise while avoiding similar controversies, escaping the shadow of Israel Adesanya without succumbing to a level of immaturity, and becoming the most beloved Brazilian fighter by Jose Aldo’s side. . This was his second attempt at martial arts, his first at Glory Kickboxing before moving on to MMA.
Indeed, when fans and pundits stop talking about star power and start discussing the GOAT incident, there are likely to be many other fighters discussed before Pereira. Trailblazers like Anderson Silva can make history, the Demetrius Johnsons of the world can show their dominance, and Jon Jones has an undefeated record on his side (and Dana White too). After replicating his success in kickboxing in his second sport, Alex Pereira has one thing left to do before he joins the ranks of these greats. He must move to heavyweight and become the UFC’s first three-division champion.
As the light heavyweight champion prepares to defend his gold medal against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, read on as we look over an opponent who probably committed a martial arts cardinal sin in the process, and Poitan is a heavyweight. Let’s map out how you can chart your path to class glory.
Step 1: Smoke Khalil Rountree
Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
In the lead-up to this match, Khalil Rountree repeated some version of the famous last words uttered by most of Alex Pereira’s opponents. Much like Sean Strickland, Jamahal Hill, and to some extent Jiลรญ Prochaska before him, Rountree is going to have a kickboxing match with the most dangerous kickboxer on the planet. Combine this with Rountree’s slightly less starry background and it seems like a recipe for something more reliable than home cooking at his mother’s house. It’s a devastating left hook that extinguishes his opponent’s light.
Step 2: Don’t worry about DDP
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After making quick work of Rountree, Alex Pereira’s next step on the road to a third belt is to ignore Dorikas du Plessis completely.
got it. This guy has a very punchy look and looks like the easiest champion on the roster to hit, but wins over Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland, and Israel Adesanya have put a damper on that idea. This should be a reason to reconsider. But no matter how confident Pereira was in facing the middleweight champion, dropping down to 185 would be a regression, both literally and figuratively, if he aims to build an ironclad MMA legacy. It will be. He has already won that belt. Winning again means little.
As far as retreads go, Pereira should only look from behind to catch a glimpse of one man.
Step 3: Cast a shamanistic spell to bring back the old Izzy
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Before his topknot crooked at UFC 303, Jiลรญ Prochaska accused Pereira of using “magic” and “spells” to win his last fight, which is as hilarious as it is bizarre. But if that’s true, Pereira’s GOAT resume could benefit from a spell that gives Izzy the courage to give the 205 a second chance.
Adesanya uttered one of his favorite quotes after losing a decision to then-champion Jan Vuลajovic in his light heavyweight debut in 2021. It’s called “Courage to be great.” Since then, he has repeated this word, sometimes followed by the affirmation: “And I am.” He said this because language is his own kind of magic, a narrativizing force so powerful that it turns the world into a comic book page and destiny into the shape of an anime arc in his head. It was around the time. But somewhere along the way, perhaps before getting beaten up by Strickland and choked by DDP, Adesanya stopped daring to be great and now prefers to assume he’s already his own. Ta.
Given the “last finish, win” attitude he adopted after finally defeating Pereira in his fourth attempt in two events, what’s stopping the pair from completing their MMA trilogy? It’s clear, at least to me: Adesanya is a heavyweight who doesn’t want some of Poitin’s full power to come to light. Clearly more muscular than when he first moved up the weight division, there are no interesting matchups left at middleweight, and he’d rather face a 205-year-old striker than a wrestler like Vลajovic. Despite the potential opportunity, the former champion is content to avoid another fight with his apparent nemesis. On the contrary, this makes both of their claims to greatness seem a little less bold.
Certainly, Pereira’s move to heavyweight can and should happen with or without an MMA tiebreaker with Adesanya. But imagine how special it would be if it came true after an ancient Brazilian ritual gave Izzy his former soul and he was forced to complete the biggest UFC rivalry of modern times. Please try it.
Step 4: Do what he’s done to Izzy almost every time he fights him
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This is self-explanatory. For Pereira’s move to heavyweight to mean what I think it would, it would require a match that would be his most meaningful title defense at light heavyweight, another decisive one against Adesanya. It must follow interdiction.
Even if Izzy finds the courage to punch the big guys again, I can only imagine it’s going to go one way when the guy who punched Izzy three out of four times is standing on the other side of the cage.
If the GOAT case is built on a combination of story and track record, his third belt will be slightly diminished if Alex Pereira fails to get a chance in a rubber match against his biggest adversary Probably. While the former is the more impressive honor, the latter is essential to the story of both men as fighters.
Ironically, three (or five) Pereira vs. Adesanya fights are far more important to each athlete’s resume than traditional fight fans are force-fed in November. One could argue that.
Step 5: Watch the two old men fight and then retire.
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I don’t think I’m breaking news when I say that very few people are interested in seeing Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic fight in what will likely be their retirement match. Unlike what I’m suggesting with another match between Pereira and Adesanya, the upcoming heavyweight championship bout has no drama, no intrigue, and ultimately no meaning. Miocic has been effectively retired since 2021 and hasn’t won a fight since 2020, but Jones is avoiding Tom Aspinall more blatantly than Izzy is avoiding Poitan, which is saying something. are.
In a perfect world, this step would be called “Beat Jon Jones.” Because Pereira will likely be in contention for the GOAT, with or without the heavyweight belt around his waist. But that can’t happen, as Jones intends to face the 42-year-old, who has survived a vicious knockout and a permanent layoff, to end his career. Instead, all Pereira has to do now that he has arrived at heavyweight is sit back and wait for the division’s undisputed next king.
Step 6: Pray that someone other than Tom Aspinall becomes the next undisputed heavyweight champion.
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One of the big bummers about Pereira not being able to fight Jones is that I don’t think he can beat Tom Aspinall. The interim heavyweight champion has youth on his side as well as a combination of size and athleticism that the 185- or 205-year-old Brazilian has never had to face.
I know what you’re thinking, “Does Alex Pereira have a better chance against Jon Jones than Tom Aspinall?!” Yes, that’s exactly right. Because, despite remaining undefeated, Jones has shown visible decline, ending his record at 205, and is now back at heavyweight after a devastating injury. Given the circumstances, Tom Aspinall is a much more dangerous opponent today.
A win over Aspinal is not impossible, especially given Pereira’s one-punch power and Tom’s subtle defensive recklessness at his feet. But if Poitan is planning a path to his third belt in the UFC, there’s an easier path out there that doesn’t involve England.
Step 7: Defeat the poor schmuck who is the undisputed heavyweight champion in Tom’s place.
Photo: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
Without the presence of Jon Jones, the heavyweight division would be very limited, and the first fighter to challenge for Aspinall’s eventual undisputed gold medal would be either a man who has already been defeated or a man who has been defeated two fights ago. It’s likely to be either one of the guys who just lost in a title fight to. This bodes well for Alex Pereira as far as his hopes of winning the belt in the third tier are concerned.
Do you think either Alexander Volkov or Cyril Gane has a chance against Tom Aspinall? Not really, no. But let’s be honest, like other greats before him, part of what contributed to Alex Pereira’s return to MMA was getting favorable matchups. A realistic roadmap for him to achieve three-division championship glory would have to include a weaker heavyweight than Aspinall. So whether a British player slips on a banana peel, catches a cold, or has a serious case of the yips, in my head he’s either Volkov or Gaine before Pereira gets into trouble. I have to give up the crab belt.
Does this make Pereira’s heavyweight title any less impressive? Only if we find similar reasons to reduce his championship at middleweight and light heavyweight. Luckily, I’m not that boring. But if that’s the case, even after becoming the UFC’s first three-division champion, Alex Pereira will still need to complete one more step before he can be considered the GOAT of mixed martial arts.
Which…
Step 8: Change name to Jon Jones
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In this completely fabricated fantasy of mine, the only way Alex Pereira can cement his place as the pound-for-pound king despite winning belts in three different weight classes is Obviously, legally becoming Jon Jones. This isn’t quite the same as being the GOAT (no matter what Dana White says), but when discussing the greatness of current competitors, the privilege of simply being Jon Jones is often overshadowed by inactivity, blatant shaming. , and it seems to be very similar when discussing what is natural. Challengers are cursed.
The truth is, the very concept of a GOAT is just as artificial as this scenario I’ve painted. It’s all cherry-picked statistics and storytelling. Nothing proves this more than Dana White’s unwavering dedication to Jon Jones. But to me, that’s the beauty of sports, the natural drama that occurs when competitors and spectators alike try to make sense of the story from wins and losses. It’s a joy to witness an athlete like Pereira stepping into such authentic gladiator theater, especially when the hype is relentlessly promoted to fans and everything starts to feel like professional wrestling. At the time.
My only fear is that if I watch too much of Pereira and Rountree’s current act, the show might be cut short and come back to haunt me. But only time will tell.
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