2024 has been the year of Alex Pereira. After his tear through two divisions, many have been lobbying for Pereira to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. That has only increased after UFC 307 pay-per-view. However, Pereira is sticking to the light heavyweight limits rather than facing Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall next. Tim ‘Red Hawk’ Welch gives his take on it.
Alex Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) notched his third defense of the 205lb gold in seven months at UFC 307. He blew past stylistic striker Khalil Rountree via a fourth-round TKO. Once again, he proved his pound-for-pound worth to his retractors. However, he put a halt to his heavyweight aspirations after the win. Welch theorizes it’s because he’d not have a PPV bonus if not a defending champ.
He is 37 years old right now, and this is me being selfish obviously…But I feel like they should make a big fight with him. A big super fight. Like, why not go for the heavyweight title? Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones — Is he interested in that? I don’t know if he’s interested in that. Becasue if he’s challenging for the heavyweight title he’s probably not gonna get PPV points.
Tim Welch via his Official YouTube channel (@TimWelchMT)
UFC fighters are compensated in many ways – most fighters receive a flat fee per fight. Some also receive a win bonus, depending on the contract. Consensus buyout superstars/ title holders are entitled to receive points for pay-per-views sold in scraps on their divisional bouts.
Courtesy of the new antitrust lawsuit (Case No. 2:15-cv-01045-RFB-BNW), some metrics are clear. Fighters receive $1 per PPV between 200,000 buys and 400,000 buys, $2 for up to 600,000, and $2.5 for each over. But, if 205lber Pereira was to fight Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall, he wouldn’t fight as the champ.
Now fighting out of Danbury, Connecticut, he is a top PPV draw. However, he’d get lesser PPV compensation for challenging gold at 185/265. Welch’s revelation comes from working closely with Sean O’Malley. He knows the workings of the UFC. As such, he believes ‘Poatan’ might not get compensated for his heavyweight title fight in hopes of becoming a triple champ.
Daniel Cormier explains how ‘very special’ Alex Pereira can remain in G.O.A.T. conversation
Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira has as many title defenses as former 205lber Daniel Cormier. While there’s no clear gospel to super fandom, MMA scoring, or how the pay model for pay-per-view points works, DC has some clear pointers. He has mapped out a path for the Brazilian to become the greatest fighter of all time.
As one would guess, that is a move to 265 on a more permanent scale and find success against names like Tom Aspinall, Stipe Miocic, or Jon Jones. If he can earn his share of PPV points and mound a clear domination in the division, he will challenge for gold soon. In many such cases, fighters have challenged the guard in minimal fights.
Pereira is in the conversation for the greatest of all time, …Not yet quite the greatest, but if he can somehow win a fight at heavyweight, compete for the championship, or continue to defend this belt at light heavyweight…This dude is special. He’s very special.
Daniel ‘DC’ Cormier via ‘ Good Guy / Bad Guy’ Podcast (@ESPNMMA) for ESPN2/ ESPNPodcenter
Cormier revealed that after ‘Poatan’ suffered a series of injuries, Pereira and his team considered pulling out of the fight. However, with Pereira’s decision to fight and a memorable performance, Cormier says the sky is the limit. With how much goodwill he has built up, it’s a few steps away.
