Las Vegas — Conor McGregor is forever mired in controversy, Ronda Rousey has retired, Jon Jones may or may not fight again. With Israel Adesanya and Sean O’Malley coming off losses, there’s an argument to be made that UFC 313 headliner Alex Pereira is the biggest star in the UFC.
That’s the question one journalist asked “Poatan” during Wednesday’s UFC 313 media day, and it seems the light heavyweight champion agrees.
“I believe so. I had a busy year last year with great success,” noted Pereira (12-2), who has held gold in two weight classes in the UFC and was deemed by many as 2024’s Fighter of the Year. “So I just keep doing this work, and I believe so.”
Pereira secured that accolade by dispatching Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main events of UFC 300, UFC 303, and UFC 307 respectively. Yet the knock on all of those wins, if there is any, is that they didn’t come against grapplers. Pereira, a former kickboxing champ prior to the UFC, has rarely seen his takedown defense tested since arriving in the promotion in 2021.
The Brazilian light heavyweight champ understands the desire to see him face off with a wrestler, however. In fact, he said Wednesday, were he simply a fan, he’d be watching this match-up with Magomed Ankalaev.
“Absolutely. If I was in the fans’ position that I could watch this fight, it’s basically, theoretically striker versus grappler. So if I was a fan I would actually want to watch the fight, and as a fighter I want to fight the fight.”
For all the talk of Dagestani Ankalaev’s wrestling, Alex Pereira sees him as something more. “When you talk about him, he’s a complete fighter, not only a wrestler. He has skills everywhere,” stated Pereira. “But I’m prepared too. I’ve been training wrestling and grappling since before I joined the UFC, when I first came to Connecticut, to Glover Teixeira. I came there to be an MMA fighter, and I’m ready for this.”
Should Pereira come away with the win over Ankalaev at UFC 313, what comes next becomes very, very interesting. At various times, the Brazilian has suggested a desire for fights with middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, and heavyweight champ and legend Jon Jones. There’s also been talk of a boxing match with Oleksandr Usyk. Pereira, at this point, is looking like the prototypical prize fighter, weight class be damned.
Which name does he want most? He hasn’t given it much thought apparently, focused as he is on Ankalaev.
“Honestly, these things haven’t crossed my mind, which one. What I think for the future that I have in hand, is either Dricus, or Jon Jones, or even fighting Oleksandr Usyk in boxing. Those I see possibly happening,” suggested Pereira. “There’s a possibility. It doesn’t depend on me, it depends on the UFC. So whatever the UFC wants to do, I’ll do it.”
Watch the full UFC 313 media day appearance by Alex Pereira above.
