Conor McGregor: Alex Pereira ‘poses a lot of problems’ for Jon Jones
Conor McGregor knows what it’s like to be a “champ champ,” and he believes Alex Pereira could do him one better.
The UFC light heavyweight champion successfully defended his title a third time this past Saturday at UFC 307 with a resounding knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr. Pereira’s success has only heightened buzz around the possibility of him moving up one more division to capture another belt, having previously held UFC gold at 185 pounds as well.
McGregor has often said he’d like to be the UFC’s first three-division champion, but it’s a goal that is also in reach for “Poatan.”
“I think that would be a viable next move for him,” McGregor told The Schmo. “Maybe he is fine at light heavyweight. There is one more matchup for him at light heavyweight that I’d be interested in, him vs. the Dagestani. But other than that, I’d like to see him go for it. Someone has to go for the three belts. It’s myself or himself. I’m sure one of us will aspire to it in the future.”
Though McGregor has struggled in recent years with poor performances and inactivity, in his prime he was a dual-division threat, memorably winning UFC championships at featherweight and lightweight. His success not only vaulted him to the top of the pound-for-pound charts, it made him one of the biggest stars in the history of combat sports.
Currently, the pound-for-pound discussion swirls around Pereira, seemingly indomitable lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, and all-time great Jon Jones, the latter of whom became a two-division champion when he defeated Ciryl Gane to earn a vacant heavyweight title. Asked for his take on the list, McGregor had a definitive answer.
“2024 has been Alex Pereira’s year,” McGregor said. “No one can deny that. And if we go by that, forget belts, forget any of that, in competition he has four fights this year, four KOs, and his most impressive one was most recently. I’d put Alex No. 1. I’d put Alex as No. 1.
“I think he poses a lot of problems for Jon, also. That’s a dangerous style for Jon. But it’s a decent one for him because he’s not so big. Jon is new to the heavyweight division. Jon had a nice one against Ciryl Gane, but he’s still untested at heavyweight, and I’m sure in the back of his mind he has that thought, ‘Some of these guys are really big.’ Alex is a nice one. It’s still a dangerous one though. At the core of it, it’s probably even more dangerous. I’d be very excited to see that bout take place for sure.”
McGregor still awaits his next booking after an injury prompted him to withdraw from a grudge match with Michael Chandler at UFC 303 this past June. Both fighters continued to discuss a re-booking, but for now Chandler has moved on to a rematch with Charles Oliveira on Nov. 16 at UFC 309.
Alexander K. Lee contributed to this story.