LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 04: Alex Pereira of Brazil enters the Octagon in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 320 event at T-Mobile Arena on October 04, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Zuffa LLC
Alex “Poatan” Pereira is looking to accomplish something that no man or woman has done in the UFC. On Sunday, at the White House, Pereira will face Ciryl Gane with a chance to become a three-division champion.
While Tom Aspinall is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, injuries to his eyes suffered in his last fight against Gane have the latter and Pereira fighting for the interim strap on the White House lawn. Despite the interim tag, it will be tough to disparage Pereira’s accomplishment if he defeats Gane.
UFC President Dana White insists that if Pereira defeats Gane and wins a title in a third division, he will be the new GOAT, unseating Jon Jones. Is this true? Let’s talk MMA.
Key Facts At A Glance
- Fighter: Alex “Poatan” Pereira (38)
- Pro MMA record: 13-3, with 11 wins by KO/TKO (84.6% finish rate)
- UFC record: 10-2
- UFC titles: Middleweight and Light Heavyweight (two-division champion)
- Next fight: vs. Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title, UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026
- At stake: First-ever UFC champion in three weight classes
What Is Alex Pereira’s UFC Record?
After a standout career as a kickboxer, Pereira has been arguably better as a mixed martial artist. His pro MMA record is 13-3 and that includes a 10-2 mark in the UFC. He’s already won the middleweight and light heavyweight championships, and he did it inside his first seven UFC fights, the fastest run to two-division champ status in promotion history.
Of his 13 wins, 11 have come by knockout, a finish rate that ranks among the most lethal the sport has seen. He vacated the light heavyweight belt in late February to chase heavyweight gold, the title then decided between Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327.
Who Has Alex Pereira Beaten In The UFC?
When you look at Pereira’s resume, there may not be a fighter with a more impressive strength of schedule. All but three of the men he has beaten in the UFC are current or former world champions. No one else has a ratio that is comparable.
He stopped Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title, knocked out Jiří Procházka twice, flatlined Jamahal Hill in a round and reclaimed the 205-pound belt by finishing Magomed Ankalaev. Sean Strickland, who later won the middleweight title himself, and former champ Jan Błachowicz add to the haul, leaving just Khalil Rountree Jr., Andreas Michailidis and Bruno Silva as the non-champions on the list.
What Are Alex Pereira’s Losses?
Pereira has two losses in the UFC. The first came via KO at the hands of Adesanya in 2023. The Last Stylebender is the only man to stop Pereira in the UFC.
The second loss was a close unanimous-decision defeat to Ankalaev. The key with both losses is that Pereira owns a win over both men too, so there is no one who holds an edge on him head-to-head in the UFC.
His only other career blemish came on debut, a 2015 submission loss to Quemuel Ottoni on the Brazilian regional scene, long before the UFC. He erased the Ankalaev decision in spectacular fashion at UFC 320, scoring a first-round knockout to reclaim the light heavyweight crown.
Is Alex Pereira The GOAT?
The GOAT debate is tricky. Jon Jones is virtually undefeated, with the exception of the ridiculous DQ loss to Matt Hamill in 2009, and that has to count for something. He is also a two-division champ.
It could be argued the fight we should be preparing to see at the White House is Pereira-Jones for the heavyweight title and the right to the GOAT distinction. As it is, the debate is harder to solve.
I asked Pereira directly how he sees himself in this space. He didn’t want to answer it directly, but instead he recited his accomplishments. “Three-division champion,” Pereira said plainly. “Breaking a lot of records.” He’s correct, they do speak for themselves.
A win Sunday at UFC Freedom 250 would make Pereira the first three-division champion in UFC history, the kind of line that reshapes these arguments. In a recent conversation about that history bid, Pereira leaned on the body of work rather than the label, and at 38, the Gane fight is his chance to make the case undeniable.
