Alex Pereira defended his Undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for the third time in the past six months at UFC 307. In typical Pereira fashion, he did it in a violent and terrifying way. This card wasn’t overly exciting or amazing, but Periera and Khalil Rountree Jr. put on a masterpiece to end the night.
Although Rountree Jr. lost this fight, he still came ready and put on a tough and competitive performance. Rountree won the first two rounds of this fight on all three judges’ scorecards. Rountree landed powerful punches and had moments, but the size difference seemed too large to overcome. Periera used his incredible leg kicks, heavy jab, and vicious body shots to finish Rounteee in the fourth round.
Pereira is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. No other champion in the UFC is dominating their division like Pereira. Pereira moves to 9-1 in the UFC and 4-0 in the light heavyweight division. Seven of his nine UFC victories have come by KO/TKO. Pereira has fought 10 times in the UFC during his 35 months in the company.
This is what Alex Pereira has done in the past 11 months since November 2023:
November 11 – UFC 295: TKO/KO – Jiri Prochazka (Vacant LHW Title)
April 13 – UFC 300: TKO/KO – Jamahal Hill (first defense)
June 29 – UFC 303: TKO/KO – Jiri Prochazka (second defense)
October 5 – UFC 307: TKO/KO – Khalil Rountree Jr. (third defense)
After the fight, Pereira said he intends to take some time off before his next fight, and it is well deserved. “Poatan” has saved the day for the UFC multiple times in the past year and is always willing and prepared to fight. Five championship wins in his first 10 contests in the premiere MMA organization in the world. That is Hall-of-Fame stuff, and Pereira is truly a one-of-one athlete.
Pereira is -120 on DraftKings Sportsbook to be the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion on December 31, 2025. As we know, a lot can change in this sport very quickly. Magomed Ankalaev has the second-best odds to finish 2025 as champion at +195. The next three fighters that have the best odds are Jamahal Hill (+600), Carlos Ulberg (+700), and Jiri Prochazka (+800).
But let’s take a look at who Pereira will face next.
- Winner of No. 2 Magomed Ankalaev vs. No. 5 Aleksandar Rakic
This is the most obvious choice. Ankalaev has won 10 fights in a row and deserves an opportunity to fight for the title more than anyone else in this division. It made no sense when the UFC booked Ankalaev to fight Rakic at UFC 308. Ankalaev is coming off a knockout win against Johnny Walker in January.
Yes, Ankalaev has had a chance to win gold in the UFC in the past when he fought Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282. But Ankalaev had a good showing that night and should have won that decision. Ankalaev is a well-rounded fighter and has many ways to beat opponents. Although he gets labeled a boring fighter, that just isn’t true. During Ankalaev’s 10-fight win streak, six of his victories have come by KO/TKO.
Rakic is a tough opponent for Ankalaev but is returning to the Octagon after two losses in a row. Even though he hasn’t won a fight since May 2021, Rakic looked good in the first round against Jiri Prochazka. This will be a fun, striking matchup with major title implications. The winner of this contest should undoubtedly challenge Periera whenever he is ready to come back.
- No. 3 Jamahal Hill
Hill, former light heavyweight champion, was in the front row at 307 in Utah. He was seen pretending to yawn, putting on an act that Pereira’s performance wasn’t impressive. Although Hill is No. 3, he will not get another shot at the belt without winning at least one more fight. He pulled out of a fight against Rountree at UFC 303 due to an injury.
Unless everyone else was unavailable, Hill has little to no chance of fighting for the title in his next fight. Hill can try to troll Pereira all he wants, but there is no denying what “Poatan” has done in the sport.
- No. 4 Jan Blachowicz
Another former champion that Pereira has already beaten is Blachowicz. A little over 14 months ago, Pereira beat him by a split decision at UFC 291 in Utah. Blachowicz took Periera down early in the first two rounds of that fight, but Blachowicz was exhausted by the end of the contest.
Blachowicz has been recovering from a horrible shoulder injury throughout the past year, and it is unknown when he will be ready to fight again. But if Blachowicz is ready to fight when Pereira intends to defend his title next, a rematch is a good second option if Ankalaev loses to Rakic.
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