Alex Pereira lost but joined special group with Jon Jones and Conor McGregor at UFC 313

Alex Pereira finds himself in the same club as Conor McGregor and Jon Jones despite losing his light heavyweight title at UFC 313.

Alex Pereira lost but joined special group with Jon Jones and Conor McGregor at UFC 313

Alex Pereira joins the ‘One, and The Only’ club at UFC 313 (via X)

Alex Pereira went against top light heavyweight challenger Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313. Unfortunately, for ‘Poatan’, it wasn’t his night as he lost the bout via unanimous decision. However, despite the loss, he found himself in the same league as some of the best in the history of UFC. 

Going into the fight Alex Pereira was a fan-favorite, and had an impressive five-fight win streak. Given his star power, during the fighter introduction at UFC 313, Bruce Buffer referred to Pereira as the ‘One, The Only.’ It immediately caught the attention of fight fans who understood the significance of it. 

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Throughout the history of UFC, only fighters had received such an honor and they were Jon Jones and Conor McGregor. The ‘Notorious’ was the first one to be announced like that due to his global influence and achievements inside the octagon. While many fighters have tried to replicate it, there has never been anyone like McGregor.

Jones, on the other hand, is widely regarded as the GOAT of MMA because of his title defences and sheer dominance inside the octagon. Now, Pereira has found himself in the special club, however, the result wasn’t what he expected. Fans are now desperate for a rematch and UFC CEO Dana White might be, too. 

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev rematch soon?

Ahead of the fight, there were concerns about Magomed Ankalaev wrestling against Alex Pereira. However, during the fight, the Brazilian was able to defend all the takedowns by the challenger. But in the process, he fell short in the striking department and didn’t get an opportunity to land his iconic left hook.

Alex Pereira looses to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313
Alex Pereira looses to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 (via X)

Dana White, who has always been a big fan of Pereira, didn’t look happy after the result was announced. In the post-fight presser, he talked about a potential rematch between both fighters. UFC veteran Dominick Cruz also shared a similar sentiment and talked about White’s point of view after the fight. 

As a promoter you are looking for a knockout and you can see that in Dana….The difference could be that Pereira has rocks in his hands literally and all he has to do is touch you once and you go to sleep and Dana counts on that and knows that it would sell.

Dominick Cruz via ESPN MMA 
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Pereira didn’t look devasted after the fight and mentioned that he would continue his training like usual. The fans might see him next fighting for the light heavyweight title again or potentially move up. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what’s next for the Brazilian superstar.

Related: UFC Top 5 ‘Knockouts of the Year’ 2024