Alex Pereira was the star the UFC needed in a post-McGregor world – but is his time up?

After committing to MMA, kickboxing icon Pereira won two UFC titles in record time. But is Magomed Ankalaev the man to end his remarkable run?

It has been said that Alex Pereira is ‘speed-running’ a Hall of Fame UFC career, to borrow video-game jargon. That is to say, the Brazilian is blitzing through not only his opponents but also all conceivable achievements.

Within just 12 months of his UFC debut, Pereira claimed middleweight gold, beating his old kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya in 2022. Twelve months later, he snatched another title, beating Jiri Prochazka to become light-heavyweight champion. He stopped both men, by the way, leaving them scrambling for their senses.

And so Pereira achieved the rare status of a two-weight UFC champion in record time, and some feel he can still make more history: as the first three-weight UFC champion.

To attempt such a feat, however, he must navigate a defence against Magomed Ankalaev this evening – perhaps his toughest test yet, as the pair headline UFC 313.

Truly, Pereira’s legacy is secure, with or without a third belt. His UFC record reads 9-1 and includes seven KO wins, five of them against men who have worn UFC gold. He also holds a decision win over another ex-champion, and his sole loss was a spectacular counter KO by Adesanya in a 2023 rematch, a fight Pereira was winning right until he was rendered unconscious.

Alex Pereira (left) stopped Israel Adesanya in their first UFC clash, before losing their rematch (Getty Images)

Usually, though, he does the rendering. “Poatan”, they call him: “Stone Hands”. It’s a name the 37-year-old justified during his kickboxing days, and one he continues to justify. Pereira possesses a pugilistic gift, the touch of death, which he usually stores in his left hook. It’s arguably the most dangerous weapon in all of combat sports.

With that weapon and a mesmerisingly stoic demeanour, Pereira quickly won over fans. But they didn’t just fall for an enigmatic knockout artist; Pereira’s stoicism has slowly given way to a surprising sense of humour, including a willingness to lean into memes and the coining of his “Chama” catchphrase. Furthermore, his willingness to just fight has endeared him to the MMA faithful. In April, he stepped up on short notice when UFC 300 needed a main event, stopping Jamahal Hill; two months later, he did the same in a rematch with Prochazka, as they replaced Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler on two weeks’ notice.

And McGregor’s absence, not only from that event but from the UFC in general, is important here.

Pereira celebrates knocking out Jamahal Hill to retain the UFC light-heavyweight title (Getty Images)

Pereira debuted in the UFC four months after McGregor’s last fight. At the time, fans hadn’t yet accepted a ‘post-McGregor’ UFC. Some still haven’t. But McGregor’s broken-toe-induced withdrawal from UFC 303 convinced more fans that they’d never see him fight again. And while that was a brutal notion, it was softened by the realisation that they could depend on Pereira: one of the UFC’s few true stars right now. A man who, ironically, fought Hill with a broken toe.

Just four months later, Pereira was back for his third fight, win and KO of 2024, brutalising Khalil Rountree Jr. If his status as the UFC’s most important active fighter was not already cemented, it was on that October night.

Adesanya’s role in the Pereira era has been intriguing, too. Pereira twice beat the middleweight great when they were kickboxers (via a controversial decision, then via KO), and that old rivalry fast-tracked Pereira to a title shot when Adesanya was UFC champion. It not only gave Pereira a shortcut to the top, but it also gave fans a reason to care about the Brazilian – who, in yet another wrinkle to this story, was doing little besides drinking before deciding to switch to MMA, with Adesanya in his crosshairs.

Pereira holds two KO wins against Jiri Prochazka (Getty Images)

In a not-quite-post-McGregor UFC, Adesanya was arguably the promotion’s top star, and in a strange twist of fate, he was replaced by Pereira. In fact, Pereira’s KO by Adesanya could have been devastating for the Brazilian’s career, but Pereira’s move to 205lb proved inspired, as he collected a second belt.

For the UFC, he was the right star at the right time. The question is whether that time is up.

Tonight, Pereira faces Ankalaev, his most well-rounded foe so far – but not the most easily marketed. Some believe the UFC does not want the Russian to beat Pereira. They’d argue Rountree Jr was a kinder stylistic match-up for Poatan in October, when Ankalaev should have been challenging him. They’d argue Ankalaev, a practising Muslim, shouldn’t have been asked to fight during Ramadan. He “pleaded” with the UFC not to book his title fight for tonight, but relented out of fear that turning down the bout would mean losing it forever.

Magomed Ankalaev has faced a complex route back to a UFC title fight (Getty Images)

The UFC would argue it hasn’t intentionally handicapped Ankalaev, or held off giving him a rightful title shot. Either way, the 32-year-old can dethrone Pereira and usher in a new (if undesired) era at 205lb.

Pereira will be fine, whatever happens. He followed his middleweight title loss with a successful light-heavyweight run, and a defeat tonight would likely lead him straight to heavyweight. He could probably challenge for the belt in his first fight in the division.

Or, he could box Oleksandr Usyk. The unified heavyweight boxing champion has, remarkably, called out Pereira, potentially seeing the kickboxer-turned-MMA star as an easy opponent on a big payday. Pereira is keen, and UFC president Dana White has just launched a boxing league with Saudi matchmaker Turki Alalshikh.

Usyk vs Pereira is a genuine possibility. Stranger things have happened. But for this strange thing to happen, Pereira must do his usual thing: knock out another body in the UFC.