UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is on the verge of breaking one of Jon Jones’s records at UFC 313.
Alex Pereira will face arguably the toughest test of his light heavyweight title reign at UFC 313 next week in Las Vegas. He returns to the Octagon after earning ‘Fighter of the Year’ consideration from many fans and pundits in 2024 with three successful title defenses.
Pereira will face Russian juggernaut Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 313 main event after months of social media barbs between the two sides. Ankalaev earned the title shot following a 13-fight unbeaten streak, including his most recent win over Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 308.
Pereira and UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones have also teased a potential superfight in recent months, especially after Jones’s win at UFC 309 in November. Before becoming the UFC heavyweight titleholder, Jones set the standard in the light heavyweight division with multiple title reigns and wins over a slew of legends.
At UFC 313, Pereira has the chance to do something Jones didn’t when he was the light heavyweight king.
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Alex Pereira set to sprint past a Jon Jones-held record with UFC 313 victory
Pereira’s blistering pace as the UFC light heavyweight champion sets him up for a fourth successful title defense in less than a year at UFC 313. A win over Ankalaev would be Pereira’s fourth defense in 329 days, surpassing Jones for the fastest light heavyweight to defend the belt four times.
Jones defeated Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, and Vitor Belfort in just 364 days. He finished Belfort with a keylock submission at UFC 152 after infamously popping his shoulder back into place following a Belfort submission attempt against the fence.
Pereira earned the then-vacant UFC Light Heavyweight title by finishing Jiří Procházka at UFC 295. He knocked out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 last April before stopping Procházka in a short-notice rematch at UFC 303.
Pereira then earned a come-from-behind win over Khalil Rountree Jr. for his third title defense in 2024 at UFC 307 in October.
Jones vacated the light heavyweight title for a move to heavyweight after a close win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. He didn’t make his heavyweight debut until UFC 285, winning the then-vacant heavyweight belt over Ciryl Gane.
Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira remains a possibility if Tom Aspinall talks fail
Coincidentally, Ankalaev is also knocking on the door of a Jones-held record. A win at UFC 313 would extend his current unbeaten streak to 14 fights, moving within four unbeaten appearances away from matching Jones’s 18-fight light heavyweight unbeaten streak.
Pereira envisions at least one heavyweight appearance before hanging up the gloves, with his big target being Jones. Jones and Tom Aspinall are in active negotiations with the UFC to unify the heavyweight belts later this year.
But if Jones vs. Aspinall doesn’t come to fruition, Jones could be stripped of the title by UFC CEO Dana White and the matchmakers. This would potentially set up a fight between Pereira and Jones without a belt on the line.