Din Thomas believes Alex Pereira, having reached the pinnacle of his career, should aim for a historic heavyweight fight against Jon Jones to cement his legacy as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.
Din Thomas thought he had seen it all as a fighter, coach, and analyst. Then Alex Pereira entered the UFC. Now that Pereira is at his peak, Thomas believes it’s time for him to make even more history.
Thomas was part of the broadcast team for UFC 303 this past Saturday in Las Vegas. The event culminated with Pereira brutally knocking out Jiri Prochazka in the opening seconds of Round 2 to retain his light heavyweight title.
Following the win, “Poatan” has options: stay at 205 and fight a top contender like Magomed Ankalaev or move up to heavyweight. Imagine becoming the promotion’s first three-division champion! The current heavyweight titleholder? One of UFC’s biggest stars and one of the greatest ever.
For Thomas, the answer is simple: Pereira should shoot for the moon. “If I’m Alex Pereira, or his manager, I’m going up to heavyweight to fight Jon Jones right now,” Thomas told MMA Fighting.
“Jon will decline,” he continued. “But I’d say, ‘I challenged Jon Jones; he declined. Let the record show that.’” If Jones accepts? Take the fight. What does Pereira have to lose fighting the greatest of all time?
Jones and UFC CEO Dana White are keen on re-booking a fight with former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. While historically significant from a promotional perspective, much of the MMA community seems uninterested after Jones’ injury before their original bout at UFC 295.
If Miocic can’t make it for some reason, Thomas envisions a scenario where Jones faces Pereira instead of current interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall. “He might take the Pereira fight because he might still have doubts about Pereira’s grappling,” Thomas said.
“I think Jon is more willing to take on Pereira than Aspinall.” Over the years, Thomas has witnessed meteoric rises in MMA—from Jon Jones to Conor McGregor and others who made significant impacts quickly.
Pereira is an enigma in Thomas’ eyes—a unicorn. A fighter who has taken opportunities and turned them into Hall of Fame moments. “To be good in this sport requires a lot happening simultaneously—luck plays a role,” Thomas explained.
“To be just a good fighter—not even a superstar—you need proper training, right fights, minimal injuries.” For superstars like Alex? Everything must align perfectly in an unreal way.
Thomas compared Pereira’s rise to B.J. Penn’s early career dominance—knocking out top fighters effortlessly seemed almost supernatural back then too. “In order to do what he’s doing… we can’t just say it’s kickboxing skills.”
Plenty of great kickboxers have entered UFC but none with Pereira’s determination and focus—or his cheat code: Glover Teixeira‘s guidance from Danbury, Conn., rooted in Chuck Liddell John Hackleman system wisdom.
All these elements combined created this superstar—and without even speaking English! From walkouts to knockouts—it’s outstanding! We’re lucky to witness Alex Pereira’s era firsthand.