UFC 281, UFC 287, UFC 295, UFC 300, UFC 303, UFC 307. These are the occasions headlined by Alex Pereira. What’s even crazier is the truth that these occasions came about, and can happen, in lower than 2 years. For somebody with the championships like Pereira, that’s an insane stat. That begs the query:
Is Alex Pereira the brand new face of the UFC?
What makes a famous person?
Like Darth Vader to the Luke Skywalker or The Joker to Batman, a hero is barely pretty much as good as their villain. That is true in struggle promotion too. Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier and George Foreman. Anderson Silva had Chael Sonnen. A hero wants adversity, in any other case they undergo from the identical drawback fashionable filmmakers have with Superman: he’s OP, he’s simply gonna win.
Heroes must look susceptible, lose even.
For years, it appeared like Israel Adesanya can be a famous person, besides followers turned on him. Seen maybe as an Anderson Silva imposter, or perhaps issues like inappropriately touching his canine and bizarre feedback, followers turned towards Adesanya, who had dominated 185 for years.
Then got here Alex Pereira. Like he was searching an animal, Pereira hunted down Adesanya after his two wins in kickboxing over “The Final Stylebender.” Now the champion, Adesanya was an much more priceless goal to chase, and chase he did.
Whereas the 2 went 1-1, buying and selling knockouts, it was Pereira that got here out the victor on the opposite aspect regardless of Adesanya profitable the final struggle. Pereira would go on to go on the Glover Teixeira revenge tour, beating Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill.
After beating Pereira, Adesanya would go on to lose to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. In actual fact, Adesanya hasn’t received a struggle since knocking out Pereira. It’s the post-Adesanya exercise that has put Pereira on prime of the narrative because the fan-favorite fighter.
Alex Pereira turning into the king
I might argue that Alex Pereira actually is the face of the UFC on the present second. Whereas he received’t promote as many pay per views as Conor McGregor, we aren’t sure he’ll ever struggle once more.
Judging somebody’s stardom off of pay per view gross sales within the present period of streaming just isn’t an ideal metric, both. The excitement round an Alex Pereira struggle week is palpable.
Since shifting to 205, Pereira has been good. He didn’t knock out Jan Blachowicz in his debut, however then once more, solely Thiago Santos has in Blachowicz’ 40 struggle profession.
What he has finished is beat 4 former champions at gentle heavyweight: Jiri Prochazka twice, the aforementioned Blachowicz and Jamahal Hill. The Hill struggle was an important.
Alex Pereira knocked out Jamahal Hill on the UFC’s marquee occasion in 2024: UFC 300. Headlining a centennial occasion for the UFC is an honor. Brock Lesnar headlined 100 and principally did the identical at 200. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier was imagined to principal occasion 200 earlier than Jones pulled out for certainly one of his many treacheries.
What made Pereira completely different from Lesnar and Jones was that he was saving UFC 300. For months, hypothesis round the principle occasion swirled. It was imagined to be one of the best ever. Nevertheless it turned obvious there was no person there and with a month or so to go, Alex Pereira was requested to struggle. Regardless of the damaged foot, he did struggle.
Jamahal Hill was as the previous champion who by no means really misplaced his belt. He kicked Pereira within the groin early on, to which Pereira waved referee Herb Dean off from stopping the struggle and knocked out Hill along with his very subsequent punch.
Echoing Max Holloway simply two fights prior: Alex Pereira was him.
The following chapter
Now Alex Pereira is again. Not the savior, however merely the headliner, Pereira is taking over the damaging Khalil Rountree in the principle occasion of UFC 307. Magomed Ankalaev is seen because the true challenger to the throne at gentle heavyweight however generally the UFC needs a very good ole resume builder within the fashionable age.
Rountree is seen as a push over which is unfair. A harmful striker in his personal respects, Rountree can knock out Pereira if he connects. He’s a wild card that has battered Eryk Anders from pillar to publish, stomped out the knee of Modestas Bukauskas, and obliterated the previous title challenger Anthony Smith.
Rountree’s resume is admittedly not probably the most deserving, however he’s a violent, violent man. And his followers know this.
Thats what activates followers of Alex Pereira. Rountree is harmful, as was Adesanya, Hill, and Prochazka. Whereas Rountree just isn’t the villain Adesanya was by any stretch. However Pereira’s gentle heavyweight run has been a revenge tour for his teammate Glover Teixeira.
Till now.
Khalil Rountree can be a brand new problem for the 37-year-old Alex Pereira. It’s the sundown of his profession. He might retire this weekend with an announcement win. He might go on to struggle Magomed Ankalaev or Dricus Du Plessis. No matter he decides to do, it will likely be the subsequent chapter within the Alex Pereira period of the UFC.
Not a bastion of pay per view gross sales, Alex Pereira is a shining instance of a spotlight reel, exercise, and most significantly, an instance of what a champion ought to be.
