Alex Pereira, UFC 313 ceremonial weigh-in Credit score: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press
In an period of title bouts that appear to be booked just because a card wants a headliner, the UFC 313 most important occasion stands out.
Alex Pereira is in contrast to another UFC famous person in the intervening time. “Poatan” is a stoic Brazilian who has shot to worldwide fame regardless of not talking a lick of English (a minimum of publicly). Having been introduced into the promotion as a foil for Israel Adesanya primarily based on the pair’s kickboxing rivalry, Pereira has truly eclipsed his former foe, claiming belts in two weight lessons, and making certain himself a spot within the firm’s Corridor of Fame someplace alongside the road.
His kickboxing pedigree, mixed together with his success in MMA, have confirmed Alex Pereira to be extra that only a huge title in MMA. And the broader fight sports activities world has begun to tkae discover.
At UFC 313, Pereira has been paired up with Magomed Ankalaev, in a conflict of kinds that can decide whether or not wrestling is actually Pereira’s kryptonite. Up to now, Pereira’s takedown protection has held up when examined, but it surely hasn’t been examined usually. And positively not by a fighter with the wrestling prowess of the Dagestani.
It’s a typical MMA storyline: striker versus grappler, title on the road. But there may be greater than a title on the road at UFC 313. For Alex Pereira, what is actually on the road is the prospect to raise himself even from different champions.
Having gained gold (then misplaced it) at middleweight throughout two fights with Israel Adesanya, to then go on and conquer the sunshine heavyweight division, Pereira is already in uncommon firm. As a double champ (albeit not a simultaneous one), he stands alongside the likes of Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones, amongst others. And that Jones title may very well be the place Pereira lands subsequent: Bones has mentioned he desires a super-fight with Pereira. For his half, Pereira has expressed curiosity in a heavyweight transfer, which might give him an opportunity to turn into the UFC’s first ever three-weight class champion.
Abruptly, the stakes at UFC 313 are that a lot larger. Whereas UFC CEO and President Dana White has been steadfast in pushing for Jones versus Tom Aspinall, a really deserving interim champ, Pereira with an explosive victory on Saturday would possibly simply sway the notoriously cussed promoter.
Then there’s Dricus Du Plessis. Whether or not Pereira would make the reduce to middleweight, or welcome the South African to mild heavyweight, there’s curiosity on that entrance as effectively. Du Plessis’s title doesn’t have the shine of Jon Jones, however he’s a defending champion, and let’s be trustworthy: at mild heavyweight, Alex Pereira has all however cleaned out the division.
This isn’t the sunshine heavyweight scene that after dominated the UFC. Within the Jon Jones period, it appeared as if certified contenders would pop up each different month. However the likes of Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Alexander Gustafsson, and Daniel Cormier are lengthy gone, both retired or combating for different organizations. Previous Ankalaev, Carlos Ulberg is essentially the most deserving contender in the intervening time, ranked #6. There’s a marketable storyline there, with Ulberg coaching alongside Israel Adesanya at Metropolis Kickboxing, and coming from a kickboxing background himself.
Ulberg, nevertheless, has time. The kind of super-fights Alex Pereira may see come his means with a win at UFC 313 have a brief window. The UFC has dragged its heels earlier than, which is a part of the explanation why Georges St-Pierre versus Anderson Silva by no means occurred.
Then there’s the elephant within the room: Oleksandr Usyk, and the prospect of Alex Pereira taking a boxing match. Conor McGregor did it, competing in one of many biggest-selling PPVs of all time. The UFC notoriously refused to let Francis Ngannou do the identical, which helped facilitate his exit from the promotion. Would they budge for Pereira, who proved in 2024 to be the consummate firm man? And in the event that they refused, would possibly Pereira, like Ngannou earlier than him, transfer on?
Not like McGregor and Ngannou, in any case, Alex Pereira is just not an “MMA guy.” He’s a kickboxer who made the transition and shot to heights that frankly weren’t anticipated of him. He could not have the loyalty to the game, or promotion, that others together with his lot would possibly. If an enormous payday in boxing beckons, he might even see worth in strolling away from blended martial arts.
In fact, with Dana White entering into the boxing enterprise, maybe the winds have modified.
Earlier than any of that may occur, nevertheless, all of it rests on the road within the UFC 313 most important occasion.
