How Alex Pereira could cement his legacy as one of the greatest of all time in 2025

Alex Pereira has already done some incredible things in mixed martial arts – but he could take things to a whole new level in 2025.

Over the course of the last few years, Alex Pereira has made his mark in the UFC in ways that few could’ve imagined. Within just one year of debuting, he had captured the UFC middleweight championship. Then, he proceeded to go up to light heavyweight and become a two-division world champion. Oh, and as if that wasn’t enough, he wound up defending the belt three times in 2024 – securing three finishes along the way.

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Pereira is an enigma and ever since coming over from kickboxing, his legend has continued to grow. At this point, some are questioning whether or not he can enter the conversation for being the greatest of all time. He sure does have a long way to go, but next year is going to be huge for him if he wants to make his claim.

In this short piece, we want to consider a few possibilities for ‘Poatan’ as he attempts to hit that next level.

The rise of Pereira

The next phase is simple: defend against Magomed Ankalaev. It seems as if the UFC hasn’t been too keen on making this happen for a while now, but at this stage, it’s unavoidable. The interesting thing for Pereira is that regardless of whether he wins or loses, he can immediately make plans to make UFC history directly after this contest.

How? By moving up to heavyweight. Whether it be Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira needs to chase greatness by trying to become the first ever three-weight UFC world champion. It’s not going to be easy and Ankalaev can’t be overlooked, but how can you ignore the chance to put yourself on the Mount Rushmore?