The GOAT conversation around Alex Pereira has sparked debate again ahead of UFC Freedom 250. While UFC CEO Dana White has hinted Pereira could surpass Jon Jones in his personal rankings with another title win, longtime UFC commentator Jon Anik is not fully on board with that idea. His UFC co-commentator Daniel Cormier does not agree either.
Title Defenses Still Define Greatness
Speaking ahead of fight week, Anik made it clear in media day with MMA Junkie that he is not ready to move Pereira past the sport’s established greats based on a single result.
For Anik, championship consistency matters more than short-term achievement when evaluating all-time greatness. That is where he sees a gap between Pereira and the sport’s most decorated champions.
“I feel like greatness should be judged on championship title defenses.”
He highlighted how far some of the all-time leaders have separated themselves in that category.
“If they hung a banner in Albuquerque, N.M. every time Jon Jones defended the title, they’d have 15 banners hanging up.
“I think in terms of chasing down Jon Jones or Georges St-Pierre or Demetrious Johnson, maybe there would still be work to be done.”
“Poatan did not defend the middleweight title.”
Historic Achievement Still Recognized
Even with his reservations, Anik acknowledged that Pereira is approaching rare territory in MMA history. A win would place him in unprecedented company as he chases titles across divisions.
“My gosh, Mount Rushmore is getting awfully crowded,”
He also referenced Daniel Cormier while framing Pereira’s potential milestone in a broader historical context.
“I just acknowledged a guy like DC who was a simultaneous double-champ, defended the belt in two divisions, and isn’t necessarily mentioned in these conversations.
“But ‘Poatan’ is certainly chasing rarefied air that no one has breathed before, and we’ll see if he can check that box.”