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Conor McGregor has admitted that Alex Pereira will likely beat him to a historic UFC feat, after the Brazilian’s latest win.
McGregor and Pereira belong to an elite group of two-weight UFC champions, with the Irishman one of just four fighters to have held two belts simultaneously. Pereira, in contrast, lost the middleweight title before moving up to light-heavyweight and claiming his second belt.
Still, Pereira has achieved remarkable accomplishments since making his UFC debut in 2021, most recently knocking out Khalil Rountree Jr on Saturday (5 October), marking a third successful title defence in seven months. And next, Pereira could go for the heavyweight title – in a bid to become the UFC’s first-ever three-weight champion.
The 37-year-old has been linked with interim champion Tom Aspinall, who is waiting on the result of November’s title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
“I think that would be a viable next move for him,” McGregor told The Schmo on Wednesday (9 October). “Maybe he is fine at light-heavyweight. There is one more match-up for him at light-heavyweight that I’d be interested in: him versus the Dagestani [Magomed Ankalaev]. But other than that, I’d like to see him go for it.
“Someone has to go for the three belts. It’s myself or himself. I’m sure one of us will aspire to it in the future.”
McGregor became the first dual-weight champion in UFC history in 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to add the lightweight belt to his featherweight title. McGregor, now 36, famously won the featherweight strap by knocking out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds in 2015.
McGregor has since fought at welterweight three times, but never for the title. He traded wins with Nate Diaz in 2016 and stopped Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds in 2020, and he was due to fight Michael Chandler at welterweight this June, before a broken toe ruled him out of the bout.
Chandler has now been booked in a rematch with Charles Oliveira, leaving McGregor without an opponent as he seeks his first fight since July 2021.
“2024 has been Alex Pereira’s year,” McGregor continued. “No one can deny that. And if we go by that, forget belts, forget any of that: in competition, he has [three] fights this year, [three] KOs, and his most impressive one was most recently. I’d put Alex as No 1 [in the pound-for-pound rankings].
“I think he poses a lot of problems for Jon also,” McGregor said, referencing heavyweight champion Jones, who defends the belt for the first time when he faces veteran Miocic.
“[Pereira is] a dangerous style for Jon, but it’s a decent one for him because [Pereira is] not so big. Jon is new to the heavyweight division [...] He’s still untested at heavyweight, and I’m sure in the back of his mind he has that thought: ‘Some of these guys are really big.’
“Alex is a nice one. It’s still a dangerous one, though. At the core of it, it’s probably even more dangerous. I’d be very excited to see that bout take place for sure.”
Jones, 37, is the consensus greatest light-heavyweight ever. In his heavyweight debut, in March 2023, he submitted Ciryl Gane to win the vacant title.
Jones was due to defend the belt against Miocic, 42, last November, but an injury ruled “Bones” out of the fight. Neither man has fought since, while Aspinall claimed the interim title in November and retained it in July.
