With just 14 MMA fights, Alex Pereira made himself a household name in the MMA world. Winning two championship belts in a span of two years is no small feat, and with three consecutive title defenses alone via finishes in 2024 alone, ‘Poatan’ is quickly finding his space in the GOAT debate. “He’s truly one of the most terrifying human beings alive”, is what Joe Rogan said about Pereira even before the Brazilian joined the UFC. Cut to the present day, and Rogan’s sentiment is shared by members of the MMA community at large. Despite competing in MMA since late 2015, and being in the UFC for only four years, Rogan won’t deny putting Alex Pereira next to people he considers in the GOAT argument.

In a conversation with Theo ͏V͏on on JRE #2226, the multi͏m͏illion-dollar podcast͏er emphasized that it ͏w͏ould be wrong not to ͏include ͏Alex͏ Pereira’s name ͏on the list after͏ witnessing͏ his ͏achievements this year. “If you just look at the record of accomplishments against champions, you kind of have to put Alex Pereira already in the conversation of potential greatest of all times, which is just so crazy,” said Rogan.

He further added, “He’s one of only three two-division champions, right? You have Conor, you have DC, you have Alex. I think that’s it.” Joe Rogan might have missed the mark there as plenty of fighters held belts in multiple divisions, apart from who Rogan mentioned – Amanda Nunes, Jon Jones, Henry Cejudo, GSP, BJ Penn, and Randy Couture. On being reminded of Amanda Nunes’ double-champ status by Young Jamie, Rogan dismissed the argument since the women’s 145-lbs division was practically non-existent for as long as it existed. Regardless, Nunes is one of only two double-champions who defended both their belts simultaneously, next to Daniel Cormier.

“So it’s a small percentage of people that have achieved that, and he achieved it in record time. He’s knocked out so many champions, knocked out Jamahal Hill, beat the crap out of Jiri Procházka, and knocked him out in the second fight. That was crazy. Hunted him, bro. He’s an unbelievable fighter. He’s a monster. What he did to Khalil Rountree was a clinic.”, said Rogan of Alex Pereira as he recapped Pereira’s last three championship fights that ended in knockouts.

It might seem a little odd that Rogan mentioned McGregor in the argument. Despite the Irishman being the first to hold two simultaneous belts, he never defended either of those belts. McGregor is an elite fighter, no doubt, but more than being a champion, ‘The Notorious’ elevated the game of mixed martial arts by bringing more eyes to the sport through his persona and money fights.

Alex Pereira, on the other hand, not only defended his title three times this year but also saved multiple UFC cards – UFC 300, UFC 302, and UFC 307 card. With his dominance and willingness to fight at a moment’s notice, ‘Poatan’ has not just become a fan favorite, but also proved his reliability to Dana White and the UFC. What’s more, is the fact that Alex Pereira has aspirations of becoming a triple-weight champion. With Jon Jones eyeing the Brazilian Tupi fighter, it might just so happen that we see Alex Pereira compete at heavyweight, and possibly even win a title.

Jon Jones has sidelined Tom Aspinall for Alex Pereira

Jon Jones fully expects to win his fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, slated for November 16th at MSG. We can make this argument because Jones stated that a fight with Pereira would only boost his legacy, which means he’s looking beyond Miocic at his next fight as heavyweight champion. Furthermore, it looks like, if Jones doesn’t get ‘Poatan’ next, he’ll be happy to retire and move on from fighting. But what about the interim champion Tom Aspinall who’s been waiting on the sidelines, gunning for a fight with ‘Bones’?

In a recent interview, Jon Jones said this about Aspinall, “I feel like Tom Aspinall, I don’t wanna say [is a] nobody, but he just hasn’t proven anything. He hasn’t done anything. And I mean, he won his belt against Sergei Pavlovich; Sergei just got slaughtered by someone else. So it’s just like, I’m not here to gamble on someone else making a name off me. I’m here to compete against the guys where, when we look back, you know, 10 years from now, it would be like Jon Jones fought this guy and that guy and this legend and this champion and this champion.” 

Fans and the MMA media landscape might not be too happy with this, as Tom Aspinall displayed such dominance, finishing all his opponents in his fights. Furthermore, ‘Honey Badger’ is the rightful contender to the undisputed throne, given he’s the interim champion who also defended his belt against Curtis Blaydes. Journalist Luke Thomas flat-out accused Jon Jones of ducking Tom Aspinall. Imagine having to defend your interim belt, while the champion goes around chasing money/legacy fights. While not being apologetic or considerate to Aspinall, Jones named-dropped the light heavyweight champion – “If there were a fight against a guy that’s still on our UFC roster that would be not only financially worth it but legacy worth it, it would be Alex Pereira.”

Does Jon Jones win his UFC 309 fight against Stipe Miocic? If so, will he sideline Tom Aspinall for a legacy fight with Alex Pereira? Let us know in the comments below.