Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou are exposed as UFC legend reveals surprising confession about Alex Pereira

Chael Sonnen certainly caused a stir in the world of mixed martial arts when he claimed that Alex Pereira was the best heavyweight fighter in the UFC. During a recent episode of “Good Guy/Bad Guy,” Sonnen shared his thoughts on Daniel Cormier, preferring “Poatan” to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, two fighters many consider to be MMA GOATS. He said: “I think I will ride with Alex Pereira. Well, our heavyweight champion, our heavyweight champion that we’re talking about fought once every three years. Our other heavyweight champion fought once every four years and only once in the division.”

Therefore, it was no surprise that many questioned the logic behind his claim and the factors he took into account. Well, it seems like the question has reached Chael Sonnen’s ears as he has given a detailed explanation as to why he thinks Pereira is a better heavyweight. The 47-year-old claimed that it’s a world for strikers at the moment. So according to him, Pereira is simply the better striker of them all. While Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, despite their strengths, actually lack the necessary hitting skills.

On his Instagram, Sonnen said: “Whoever you say is the best heavyweight right now, you also have to say they are the best heavyweight striker right now. I went with Pereira. It’s a striker’s world at the moment, the likes of which we’ve largely never seen or even predicted. And here I come with Pereira. I don’t know how much you can include Francis, no matter how great he looked. That was an MMA fight that goes back to his time in the UFC – we fought Ciryl Gane back then. And then you have Jon making an appearance; I mean, it’s a very interesting thing. I think it’s probably down to Aspinall and Pereira.”

Well, fans will certainly agree with Chael Sonnen here. Alex Pereira is making his way into the UFC Hall of Fame. The Brazilian, who made his competitive debut in 2021, became middleweight champion with a win over Israel Adesanya. Adesanya returned the favor and defeated him in a rematch a few months later. After this initial success, “Poatan” decided to move up a category. At the end of 2023, he defeated Jiri Prochazka to become 205-pound champion.

He also defended that title: at UFC 300 against Jamahal Hill and at UFC 303 this weekend in the rematch of Prochazka. In just three years, Alex Pereira ruled two divisions. Now the Brazilian could be eyeing a weight of 265 pounds.

Alex Pereira and the chance to become the first triple champion in UFC history

When Joe Rogan asked Alex Pereira about moving to heavyweight, shortly after knocking out Prochazka and receiving the approval of fans at T-Mobile Arena, the possibility of becoming the first three-time UFC champion was unanimous. However, “Poatan” left this option to the competition. He said: “I think that’s in my future. I said that last time I was here; I say this often, but there didn’t seem to be much interest in the organization. But I’m here, I’m available and I think that’s in my future… I think the fans have a lot of say in that, whatever they want. In the end it’s the people who pay for it and if that’s what they want, it will be inevitable.”

Being a double champion is something many try, but few succeed. The last one was none other than Alexander Volkanovski. Before losing his featherweight belt to Ilia Topuria, “Volk” attempted to become double (simultaneous) champion by challenging lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. He failed in his two attempts in 2023. Never in the history of the competition has there been a three-time champion!

But now that Pereira is showing true dominance in the Octagon, it wouldn’t be surprising to see if “Poatan” actually manages to make history in the Dana White-led promotion. What do you think? Will Pereira be able to become the first triple champion? Let us know in the comments.