Update: With a fourth-round TKO loss to Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, Alex Pereira completed the first step in my eight-part plan to win his third UFC title and become the GOAT of combat sports. But that’s not all he set in motion. He also answered questions about the deficiencies in his game that made me doubt how well he would do against Tom Aspinall, he said what I expected when asked about the Dricus Du Plessis fight, and backstage he told Megan Olivi that can handle something that fits perfectly into my fan theory framework.
He even signed the great Chael P. Sonnen, who believes that Pereira is perhaps a little ahead of schedule completely set by me. “He’s completely one-dimensional for a GOAT,” Sonnen continued ESPN post-show after Poatan’s victory. “I mean, it’s just kickboxing, it’s just stand-up. There’s no groundwork, there’s never been a takedown, there’s never been a submission defense, there’s never been a submission – and he just might be the GOAT. He revolutionized the sport.”
Read on to see how MMA’s most dominant kickboxing specialist can take his talents to the heavyweight division and achieve something that most of us, including myself and Sonnen, are only now realizing is possible.
There are some engaging points of comparison when it comes to Alex Pereira’s career. First, its fame is obvious to the millions who built it, not something that fans need to be convinced of, unlike its supposed popularity The main star of Sphere is Sean O’Malley. What’s more, he maintained a McGregor-style climb while avoiding similar controversies, escaped Israel Adesanya’s shadow without stooping to his level of immaturity, and became the most beloved Brazilian fighter on José Aldo’s side – all while making himself a two-division champion in the sport fighting for the second time, the first time he did so was with Glory Kickboxing before moving on to MMA.
It’s true that when fans and pundits stop talking about star power and start discussing GOAT cases, a case can be made for many other fighters ahead of Pereira. Pioneers like Anderson Silva can make history, the Demetrius Johnsons of the world can point to their dominance, and Jon Jones has an unbeaten streak on his side (and Dana White). After repeating his kickboxing success in his second sport, Alex Pereira must do one more thing before he can be counted among the greats: he must move up to heavyweight and become the UFC’s first three-division champion.
As the airy heavyweight champion prepares to defend his UFC 307 gold against Khalil Rountree, read on as I look past his opponent, perhaps committing a cardinal sin in combat sports in the process, and chart Poatan’s potential path to heavyweight glory .
