With a UFC record of 9-1 and a total of 5 title fight victories in 2 different weight categories, one might believe Alex Pereira to be already at the top of the pound-for-pound list. But it’s actually Islam Makhachev with a 15-fight win streak and 4 back-to-back title defenses in the lightweight realm. The Dagestani champ is followed by Jon Jones with an arguably undefeated record. And the talk of the town is that if Pereira manages to defeat Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, he might jump from the 3rd spot to the #1 P4P position. Well, that’s what Dana White claimed. 

During his appearance on ESPN’s First Talk show, with Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim, the UFC head honcho weighed in on the bout between ‘Poatan’ and Ankalaev. He said, “This is a tough fight for Alex. Alex comes out of this the way he’s come out of every other fight? He might be the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.” However, there was a catch. White seemingly wanted something special out of the fight to put the Brazilian champ on the pedestal of P4P #1. But did the man with the hands of stone know about White’s expectations?

During the pre-fight press conference for UFC 313, a reporter asked Pereira the same question. Well, he’s already one of the fastest fighters in the division to secure 3 consecutive and successful title defenses. 4 of his last 5 bouts ended with him knocking his opponents out. But ‘Poatan’ doesn’t have anything like that running on his mind. He put Jones and Makhachev on high alert with his response.

In a no-n0nense manner, he said, “Listen, I’m gonna fight this Saturday without thinking about the records, without thinking about status or anything else. I’m gonna fight like it’s my debut in the UFC.” 

It’s true that Alex Pereira has been going through everyone that the UFC has thrown at him. Of course, his career in the UFC was highlighted because of his rivalry with Israel Adesanya, and ‘The Stylebender’ was the only one who defeated Pereira in the Octagon. But after moving to the light heavyweight division, the kind of attention that the Brazilian grabbed was exemplary. Well, that might be true because of his approach towards his fights (looking at each fight as his UFC debut). This is the reason why most fight fans believed that Pereira should already be at the top of the P4P list. But do you know what Michael Bisping had to say about it?

UFC veteran weighs in on Alex Pereira’s stance in the P4P list

Taking to his YouTube channel back in October 2024, ‘The Count’ expressed his feelings about Pereira, following the Brazilian’s win over Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. This was his 3rd successful title defense in a span of just 7 months. And that’s what impressed the former UFC middleweight champion. He said, “If you go through the top 10, it’s really hard to deny Alex Pereira is No. 1.”

Michael Bisping continued, “And that’s partly what I want to see. To be pound-for-pound No. 1, you’ve got to be finishing people. You can’t be scraping by them with split decisions. You’ve got to do it in emphatic fashion, and I don’t think there’s anyone out there with the finishing ability of Alex Pereira. It is frightening what he can do.”

Bisping didn’t really avoid talking about Pereira having to fight a contender in the 8th spot in the rankings, while Ankalaev was still out looking for a fight. After all, there was nothing the Brazilian champion could do if the UFC wanted him to fight Rountree. But one thing was certain. Pereira was as active as a P4P king could be. And winning in spectacular fashion simply pushed the game for the champ a bit higher. 

Do you think Pereira should become the new pound-for-pound king if he manages to win at UFC 313? Or should the UFC big guns wait for a matchup between Pereira and Jones to finally address the P4P picture? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.