Alex Pereira is pursuing a third UFC championship, a feat that has only once been seriously threatened in UFC history — by Vitor Belfort at UFC 187 in 2015, when Belfort attempted to win the middleweight title to become the promotion's first three-division champion before being stopped by Chris Weidman. Notably, Pereira is making his attempt at the same age of 38 that Belfort was during that bid, though Pereira enters as the favorite rather than the underdog.
Alex Pereira is chasing history, aiming to become only the second fighter in UFC history to seriously threaten a third divisional title — and he is doing so at the same age the only other man who came close made his attempt.
Pereira, 38, currently holds the light heavyweight championship and carries a professional record of 13-4. Standing six-foot-four with a 79-inch reach, the Brazilian southpaw-turned-orthodox striker out of Teixeira MMA and Fitness is one of the most dangerous punchers the promotion has ever seen, landing 5.16 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy rate of 62 percent — numbers that rank among the elite in any division.
The historical parallel centers on Vitor Belfort, who in 2015 at UFC 187 attempted to capture the middleweight title at the age of 38, a win that would have made him the UFC's first three-division champion. Belfort, a fellow Brazilian standing six feet tall with a 74-inch reach, was stopped that night by Chris Weidman before he could complete the feat. Weidman, then the middleweight champion, brought a relentless wrestling-based game to the cage, averaging 3.27 takedowns per 15 minutes and landing strikes at a rate of 3.11 per minute.
The key distinction between the two bids is standing. Where Belfort entered that contest as an underdog, Pereira pursues his third title as the favorite.
Why it matters
- Pereira winning would give him a place in UFC history no fighter has previously reached, becoming the promotion's first confirmed three-division champion
- The age parallel with Belfort adds a direct historical bookmark to the storyline
- Pereira's striking volume and 62 percent accuracy make him a matchup problem for any division he targets
- The outcome will reshape the light heavyweight divisional picture regardless of result
