Alex Pereira joins elite three-man club with Conor McGregor and Jon Jones after receiving an incredibly rare honor at UFC 313

Alex Pereira fought Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on Saturday, March 8, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was his fourth attempt at light heavyweight title defense, but things did not go according to plan for the Brazilian.

Even though Pereira lost the fight and the title to the Russian via unanimous decision, he received a rather special honor from one of the stalwarts of the organization. Many fans did not agree with the judges' scorecard.

Before the fight started, the legendary Bruce Buffer introduced 'Poatan' as "The one, the only."

Take a look at the moment featuring Alex Pereira and Bruce Buffer below:

Longtime MMA fans would know how it is a rare honor for a fighter to have their name prefixed by the phrase during an octagon interview by Buffer. Before Pereira, Buffer introduced only two other fighters with the same laurel - Conor McGregor and Jon Jones.

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Alex Pereira met Bruce Buffer's conditions to be rewarded with the iconic introduction

For the longest time, fans wondered who would be the third fighter to be called 'The one, the only" by Buffer. Many believed that Alex Pereira was the one who deserved the honor, given his meteoric rise to becoming a two-division champion in the UFC in just three years. His humble roots and kickboxing legacy only added to the fable that 'Poatan' is.

Turned out those fans were right, and the Brazilian was indeed deserving of the place in this elite club alongside two other trailblazers in the sport.

Buffer told Essentially Sports Fancast in June 2024 that he reserved the honor for "definitive moments" and those who have delivered them over the years. He compared it to his famous Buffer Bow, which he also did for only two fighters in the history of the UFC:

"I try to reserve that [special treatment]. With all respect to all the other fighters, you have to earn your position to get something. I bowed to Randy Couture and Anderson Silva [because] I knew their careers were in the UFC and that was it."

As for calling Jon Jones and Conor McGregor "The one, the only," Buffer said:

"Aside from the troubles and tribulations he’s been through, [Jon Jones] is the GOAT... Conor Mcgregor having the tremendous impact that he’s had, the effect that he’s had on the UFC... I mean, he has a definitive IT factor, which makes him truly the one and only, right? Jon Jones, being the goat that he is, [is] truly the only and only."

It seems like in Buffer's mind, Alex Pereira has reached a similar level of success in the sport to have earned the introduction at UFC 313.