Alex Pereira has become an unforgettable face in the UFC community in a very small period of time. His sharp rise to the top of the food chain at the UFC can be compared to that of Conor McGregor himself. And no one is more impressed than former double champion, Daniel Cormier, who believes fans would really miss ‘Poatan’ after his iconic title reign comes to an end.
DC appeared on a neoteric ‘ESPN MMA’ video alongside Dustin Poirier, Cormier talked about how Pereira was an active champion and was willing to defend his title so frequently, a rare case in the UFC.
“You will miss the days when Alex Pereira is not a champion anymore because this guy fights so frequently. No champions fight as much as this guy does.”
Pereira made his UFC debut in November 2021. The following year, he took to the octagon three times, the last of which also earned him the UFC middleweight championship.
Fans have witnessed several fighters slowing down their rate of accepting fights after being crowned but Pereira has ambitions of becoming the company’s first three-division champion and by the looks of it, he is racing against the clock to get to his goal.
The Brazilian had provided fans with three encounters in 2023 as well.
Pereira’s first fight of 2023 ended with a devastating defeat against archrival Israel Adesanya. But he made a quick return to the light heavyweight division within just three months and captured UFC light heavyweight gold in his last fight of 2023.
‘Poatan’ has already defended his title once this year, when he knocked out Jamahal Hill cold at UFC 300.
And now, just months later, he is gearing up to defend it again at UFC 303 on 29 June on a few weeks notice to fill the void made by Conor McGregor’s absence.
While the UFC community does agree with DC, they feel as though a lot of credit for being an active champion should also go to Adesanya, who also liked to take on fights at very short intervals during his reign as the middleweight champion.
Is ‘Poatan’ a more active fighter than Adesanya?
‘The Last Stylebender’ captured the undisputed middleweight gold at UFC 243 on 5 October 2019. The following year, he defended his title two times against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa. ‘Izzy’ took to the octagon twice in 2021 as well. He may have matched the count of Pereira’s fights in the year 2022 but he also lost the middleweight championship in the last fight of the same year.
In 2023, Pereira beat Adesanya in terms of activity once more. The Kiwi took to the octagon twice during this year as well, while ‘Poatan’ had three fights during the same time. Meanwhile, ‘Izzy’ has been on a prolonged hiatus after his UFC 293 loss to Sean Strickland in September 2023.
The authorities may have planned his return at UFC 305 but Pereira will have added three more fights to his record by that time. Needless to say, Pereira wins this round as well. He is an inescapable force of nature who has a ridiculous taste for quick fights and if he wins that coveted third title, fans may get to see him even more frequently before he calls it a day.
