Alex Pereira could match Jon Jones' unique feat with a win over Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313

Alex Pereira is gearing up for his fourth light heavyweight title defense against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. With this fight, he has a chance to etch his name in UFC history by securing the most title defenses in less than 12 months, a feat that would tie him with Jon Jones.

Jones set this record more than 10 years ago, and since then, no one has achieved the same feat.

Pereira had a busy 2024, fighting three times in the year and successfully defending his crown in all three bouts via knockout. ‘Poatan’ also saved UFC 303, stepping in on short notice to face Jiri Prochazka after the original headliner, Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, was scrapped due to the Irishman's withdrawal just weeks before the fight.

Meanwhile, Ankalaev fought twice last year, securing a knockout victory over Johnny Walker and a decision win against Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 308. Many considered the Russian to be Pereira’s toughest opponent yet, as the light heavyweight kingpin had never faced an elite wrestler like Ankalaev inside the octagon.

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Alex Pereira rules out training with Jon Jones for now

Alex Pereira once expressed his desire to train with reigning heavyweight champion Jon Jones. However, ‘Bones’ showed interest in fighting ‘Poatan’ in a super fight, and the Brazilian also welcomed the idea, urging the UFC to make it happen.

UFC CEO Dana White, however, dismissed the potential matchup, stating that the reigning heavyweight champion must first face Tom Aspinall in a heavyweight unification bout.

During his appearance on Bloody Elbow, Pereira addressed the possibility of training with Jones and emphasized that if they were to fight in the near future, it wouldn’t make sense to train together beforehand. However, he remained open to the idea after a potential fight, stating:

"To be honest, I don't think that makes as much sense anymore. Back when I said I wanted to fight at heavyweight, people had already connected the dots and mentioned Jon Jones, so that’s something being speculated, even if it’s just by the fans. I would want to go and train with him now, but if we end up fighting, people will start saying all kinds of things about it. So, I don’t think it would make sense now. But if we were to fight one day and then train together afterward, that would make sense."

Check out Alex Pereira’s comments below (10:10):