Alex Pereira is not one for grand statements, but his confidence is clear as he approaches his UFC 313 main event at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
The reigning light heavyweight champion, Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC), acknowledged his growing status in the sport. Speaking to reporters at Wednesday’s news conference, he was asked if he is currently the biggest active star in the UFC outside of Jon Jones.
“I believe so,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “I had a busy year with great success. I just keep doing this work, and I believe so.”
Pereira, 36, has become a global name, and with his position comes speculation about high-profile fights beyond his scheduled title defence against Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC).
While he maintained his focus on UFC 313, Pereira acknowledged several lucrative opportunities could follow with a victory.
“I’m not looking past ahead,” Pereira said. “A lot of these things haven’t even come into my mind. But what I think for the future, what I have in hand, is either Dricus (Du Plessis) or Jon Jones or even fighting Oleksandr Usyk in boxing. Those, I see possibly happening. It doesn’t depend on me. It depends on the UFC. So whatever the UFC wants to do, I’ll do it.”
Before any potential super fights materialise, Pereira must first get past Ankalaev, a Russian contender many believe presents his toughest stylistic challenge. Pereira acknowledged the significance of the matchup.
“If I was in the same position that I could watch this fight,” Pereira said. “Basically or theoretically, it’s a striker vs. a grappler. So if I was a fan, I’d actually want to watch the fight. As a fighter, I want to fight the fight. … He’s a complete fighter, not only a wrestler. He has skills everywhere," he said.
"But I’m prepared, too. I’ve been training wrestling, grappling, since before I joined the UFC, since I first came to Connecticut to Glover Teixeira. I came there to be an MMA fighter and I’m ready for this," Pereira added about his opponent on Saturday.
UFC 313 takes place Saturday in Las Vegas, with Pereira vs. Ankalaev headlining the event.
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