Vitor Belfort came close to becoming the first triple champion in UFC history when he challenged Chris Weidman at UFC 187 in 2015, even producing commemorative T-shirts ahead of the bout. Belfort entered on a strong run of finishes but was stopped by Weidman via ground-and-pound after initially hurting the champion. Alex Pereira is now making his own run at three UFC belts at the same age of 38 that Belfort was then, though in the position of favourite.
Eleven years before Alex Pereira began chasing UFC history, another Brazilian power puncher came agonizingly close to the same milestone — and even had the merchandise ready to prove it.
Vitor Belfort, the Brazilian knockout artist known as "The Phenom," arrived at UFC 187 in 2015 with a genuine shot at becoming the first fighter in UFC history to claim three championship belts. Belfort had printed commemorative T-shirts ahead of the bout, such was his confidence entering on a strong run of finishes. He did manage to hurt champion Chris Weidman during the fight, but Weidman recovered and ultimately stopped Belfort via ground-and-pound. Now 49, Belfort finished his career with a 26-14-0 record, standing six feet tall with a 74-inch reach.
Weidman, then defending his middleweight title, brought a tenacious, well-rounded game to that Las Vegas bout. The Long Island native, now 42, carries a career record of 16-8-0 and remains one of the more complete fighters of his era, averaging 3.27 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 3.11 significant strikes landed per minute across his career.
The parallel drawing fresh attention to that near-miss is Alex Pereira. The reigning UFC light heavyweight champion — nicknamed "Poatan" — is now pursuing a run at three UFC titles at the same age of 38 that Belfort was during that 2015 challenge, though Pereira enters his bid as the favourite rather than the challenger. The 193-centimeter Brazilian, fighting out of Teixeira MMA and Fitness, carries a 13-4-0 record and leads all active notable contenders in striking output, averaging 5.16 significant strikes per minute at a remarkable 62 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- Belfort's 2015 near-miss set a historical benchmark that no fighter has yet reached — three UFC titles
- Pereira is now the most credible candidate to break that barrier, entering as champion rather than challenger
- The stylistic parallel between two Brazilian finishers at the same age adds an unusual historical symmetry to Pereira's current run
