It took a while for Luke Rockhold to appreciate UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira’s greatness.
In 2023, former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Rockhold told MMA Junkie that with a healthy body and a good training camp, he could easily beat Pereira. Throughout his UFC career, “Poatan” has won the middleweight title, defended his light heavyweight title three times in first reign, then reclaimed his belt from Magomed Ankalaev with a 80-second TKO win at UFC 320.
Rockhold can’t deny what Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has achieved.
“I used to hate on Alex Pereira, but motherf*cker’s a gangster,” Rockhold told TMZ Sports. “It’s all about confidence. It’s all about balls. He has it. He f*cking has it. I’m not going to lie. I can’t hate on the motherf*cker anymore. He’s one of the GOATs.
“He carries the same mindset every f*cking time. He doesn’t have a ground game, but the motherf*cker’s got balls. No more hate. Alex, God bless: You’re a gangster. He’s one of the best champs of all time. Honestly, it’s impressive.”
Pereira has expressed interest in a heavyweight move on numerous occasions. While his target is currently Jon Jones at the White House, he could become the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in three weight divisions if he decides to chase the Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane winner at UFC 321 instead.
