Although it’s unclear who he’ll fight first in 2025, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira says he won’t be the man many see as their biggest threat in the division. ‘Poatan,’ a former 185-pound champion, enjoyed an outstanding year in the Octagon. After being crowned king of the division in November 2023, the Brazilian successfully defended the 205-pound gold three times in 2024. However, there remains one point of contention used by his limited group of detractors, and that is his not fighting the #1 contender Magomed Ankalaev.

Even before his win over Aleksandar Rakić in October, many considered Magomed Ankalaev to be the most deserving of a title shot. When it did not come to fruition, some concluded that the promotion had been seeking to “protect” Pereira from the Dagestani wrestler. And now more fuel has been added to the fire as Ankalaev has made things personal for the Brazilian fighter. Taking to his X account, the Russian claimed that ‘Poatan’ is running away from a fight against him in the same way the way the Brazilian’s coach and former UFC fighter Glover Teixeira did.

Magomed Ankalaev tweeted, “@AlexPereiraUFC I’m not surprised you doing the same thing your coach did when they offer him title chat against me @gloverteixeira run.” For the unaware, former UFC light heavyweight champion Prochazka was booked to fight Glover Teixeira at UFC 282. However, he suffered a shoulder injury and had to vacate the title, making the UFC consider a title fight between Teixeira and the Russian. However, the Brazilian declined the bout.

Despite Magomed Ankalaev‘s unbeaten streak and his position in the light heavyweight rankings, Pereira has kept the 32-year-old waiting. This earlier made him accuse Alex Pereira of evading him by calling the champion a “chicken”. With a matchup with Ankalaev seemingly ruled out, it remains to be seen what’s next for Pereira, especially after this callout featuring Glover Teixeira. Whoever his opponent might be, ‘Poatan’ has already achieved Hall of Fame status. At least, that’s what a UFC commentator believes.

Commentator praises Alex Pereira and elevates him to UFC Hall of Fame status

‘Poatan’ has been on a run of a lifetime. Alex Pereira defended the UFC light heavyweight belt for the third time with a knockout of Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 and subsequently established himself as a marquee star in the company. Following the trajectory of the Brazilian fighter, Alan Jouban, former UFC welterweight and current commentator in the organization, is truly impressed. During an interview with MMA on SiriusXM, the veteran was asked by the presenter if ‘Poatan’ did enough to deserve a place in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Jouban did not hesitate and elevated Pereira to that position. According to the American, the current UFC light heavyweight champion, despite being ‘new’ to the company, already has achievements that most fighters do not have. It’s worth noting that Alex Pereira debuted in the UFC in 2021, became middleweight champion in 2022, and before you knew it, he won the light heavyweight title in 2023 and knocked out three title challengers in 2024. This made him achieve celebrity status in the fight world.

With such a resume, Alan Jouban claimed that Pereira possesses a differentiating aura and stressed that he has already made his legacy in MMA. He said, “If he retires tomorrow, nobody in the history of the UFC has done what he has done in such a short amount of time. Look at what he has done. It’s unprecedented, so I would say yes. Not only is he a guy that has this mystique, that has this following of kids and people of all ages, and has carried the UFC on his back, but the one thing that he does better than anybody else in the UFC is that he puts a bow on it, and he finishes fights.”

Well, it seems like Pereira has already earned himself another fan in Jouban. But what do you think? Do you believe Alex Pereira has already reached Hall of Fame status? Let us know in the comments.