UFC 303 roundtable: Is Alex Pereira the MVP of the UFC?

Alex Pereira is right here to avoid wasting the day.

If that sounds acquainted, it’s as a result of the Brazilian star has made a behavior out of signing up for large matchups on brief discover after which delivering in spades on struggle evening. The stage is about for Pereira to do it once more when he defends his mild heavyweight title towards Jiri Prochazka within the substitute UFC 303 primary occasion, which was booked after Conor McGregor bowed out of Saturday’s initially scheduled headliner towards Michael Chandler.

Pereira simply retains making historical past, so MMA Preventing’s Alexander Ok. Lee, Mike Heck, and Jed Meshew gathered on the roundtable to preview Saturday’s card in Las Vegas and ponder whether or not “Poatan” is the UFC’s most vital fighter proper now.

1. Is Alex Pereira the UFC MVP?

Heck: Sure, and it’s not likely up for debate.

Alex Pereira just isn’t solely the MVP of the UFC, he has been the savior as nicely. Pereira gave the UFC a present when he stepped in and put absolutely the excellent capstone on a legendary UFC 300 card when he iced Jamahal Hill in April, and now he’s doing it once more on even shorter discover, whereas banged up with a pair of damaged toes — which is ironic contemplating Conor McGregor’s motive for not preventing Michael Chandler.

And right here’s the factor, fellas: When you’ve got the MVP label for this firm, you get a golden ticket, or a wild card for everytime you want it. Ought to Pereira wish to face the fighter I’m choosing for the subsequent query with a victory on Saturday, and even step as much as struggle Jon Jones for the heavyweight title, he ought to completely be capable of. Sorry Tom Aspinall. Sorry Magomed Ankalaev.

Photograph by Luke Hales/Getty Photographs

Lee: Let’s be sincere, so far as fighters go, is there actually such factor as a UFC MVP? I’m certain most followers would level to CEO Dana White as being integral to the operation, however clips from the current Combat Inc. documentary present how dependent he’s on Hunter Campbell and firm to do the heavy lifting. So if the boss doesn’t qualify for MVP standing, realistically how can any fighter?

Sadly, that stands for Pereira. And Jon Jones and Sean O’Malley and Islam Makhachev. Identify your favourite fighter, I’m sorry to say that they’ll solely carry a lot weight for the promotion within the grand scheme of issues. Pereira has actually made the strongest case for himself lately along with his willingness to struggle anybody throughout two weight divisions and, extra importantly, he arrives in spectacular trend each time he’s known as upon. Even in defeat, like when he dropped the UFC middleweight title again to Israel Adesanya, it resulted in a viral second and future field workplace for the UFC. Pereira shook up the middleweight division, and the ripples later led to Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis rising as stars.

But when it wasn’t Pereira, it might be another person, as a result of the UFC has accomplished an impressive job of constructing a roster, product, and model by which everyone seems to be replaceable. Having a man like Pereira round to avoid wasting the day is nice, but it surely’s extra of a luxurious than a necessity for the group.

Pereira is the person, no bones about it. Simply do not forget that he’s a person who exists in a system that’s designed to place a ceiling on his worth.

Meshew: ESPN is the UFC’s MVP. Its tv rights deal permits the UFC to make obscene quantities of cash whatever the high quality of fights it makes. That’s why there are such a lot of Contender Collection fighters within the UFC nowadays: when your product doesn’t matter, cheaper labor is healthier. ESPN permits the UFC to function cheaply from the APEX and with playing cards full of individuals with out Wikipedia pages, maximizing earnings. ESPN is the MVP.

But when we’re placing our cynicism on maintain for a second, then yeah, it’s Pereira. Not solely has “Poatan” grow to be one of many largest stars within the promotion, he’s additionally confirmed to be an organization man via and thru, leaping in to avoid wasting UFC 300 and now UFC 303, and even providing his efforts to do the identical for UFC 301. Pereira is principally if Donald Cerrone was really a world-class fighter as a substitute of only a very, excellent one.

Relaxation assured that if Pereira exits Saturday and continues to be the champion, he’d in all probability be keen to step in towards Tom Aspinall at UFC 304 if one thing occurs to Curtis Blaydes.

2. What primary card fighter is one win away from a UFC title shot?

Meshew: You can also make the case for a variety of folks however I’m going with the fighter generally known as “winner of Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael ‘Venom’ Page.”

Welterweight is in an attention-grabbing spot proper now in that there’s a very clear contender in ready and there’s a champion who appears extraordinarily bored with preventing him. Leon Edwards is a irritating champion as a result of although he struggled for years to get the struggle he deserved, as soon as he lastly bought it and have become champion, he’s been doing his greatest to disclaim others that very same alternative, as a substitute chasing an insane struggle with Conor McGregor or a middleweight title shot.

On its face, these are ridiculous needs, however much more so within the context of Edwards. “Rocky” is legitimately top-of-the-line fighters on this planet, however he’s additionally among the many least enjoyable. Aside from his one head kick win over Kamaru Usman, Edwards has placed on the kinds of fights that don’t endear him to followers or the UFC, and thus he’s not going to get the ridiculous issues he’s requested for. In order that leaves him two choices: struggle Shavkat Rakhmonov or give the UFC a motive to have him struggle another person. Enter Garry vs. “MVP.”

Shavkat is the hardcore fan’s darling, however there received’t be riots if he will get handed over. And one thing tells me Edwards would moderately delay the Shavkat mauling for so long as attainable. So if as a substitute he can name out the winner of this welterweight scrap for both an England vs. Eire, or All-England matchup, I believe the UFC may entertain that.

After all, this all hinges on Edwards beating Belal Muhammad which actually isn’t a given. However even when he doesn’t, Belal shouldn’t be in a rush to struggle Shavkat both. That man is a monster.

Heck: As I teased within the Pereira reward portion of the proceedings, the reply is Anthony Smith.

Will he “deserve” it with a win over middleweight Roman Dolidze, who’s on a two-fight shedding streak? After all not. Does he have the star energy that might usually result in a wierd, non-meritocratic championship reserving within the UFC? No. However, the largest factor he has on his aspect is that the present champion, and the person who curries favor with the UFC perhaps greater than anyone on the roster proper now in all probability needs to punch him within the face.

Clearly, each Smith and Pereira should win to ensure that this all to occur instantly, however make no mistake about it, if that occurs, there’s an excellent likelihood “Lionheart” will get a second crack at UFC gold.

Photograph by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC through Getty Photographs

Lee: It’s Mayra Bueno Silva and I swear I’m not simply doing a bit.

Image this situation: Silva scores a dominant win over the gifted, however inconsistent Macy Chiasson. Let’s say, second-round submission, one thing like that. Silva instantly will get on the mic, requires Kayla Harrison, all of us sort of shrug it off and transfer on.

Harrison will get her interim title struggle towards Julianna Peña, takes out “The Venezuelan Vixen” with ease, and wishes a challenger. Proper now, you’re considering, “OK, so Raquel Pennington meets her in a unification bout.” However we don’t understand how lengthy the UFC goes to have to attend for Pennington to return again.

With Harrison wanting to remain busy and the UFC scrambling to beef up its pay-per-view playing cards because it has so many instances in 2024, I can see a situation the place the two-time PFL champ is named upon for a fast turnaround. Fast turnarounds want keen opponents and you’ll make certain Silva suits the invoice.

It’s not a struggle anybody is asking for proper now, but when that situation doesn’t scream ladies’s bantamweight, then I don’t know what does.

OK, perhaps that is sort of a bit.

3. What’s the most must-see struggle of the UFC 303 prelims?

Lee: Generally, you’ve bought to simply hand it to the vets, and that’s what I’m doing right here with my choose of Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili.

Regardless of what some uneducated members of the welterweight roster (OK, one man) may suppose, Swanson is greater than deserving of the flowers that he’s been given through the years. Swanson is a WEC authentic, a UFC stalwart, and one half of a Corridor of Fame struggle with Doo Ho Choi, to not point out a hardened competitor who was ranked for years whereas some ignoramuses (OK, I’m speaking about Joaquin Buckley) had been simply getting their cagefighting ft moist.

Saturday marks Swanson’s twenty fourth UFC look and we don’t know what number of he has left. Each likelihood we get to observe him struggle, it’s a privilege.

Fili hasn’t reached the identical heights as Swanson and isn’t handled with the identical reverence, however he’s been delivering high quality performances for years in one in all MMA’s hardest divisions. I’m additionally keen to wager most aren’t conscious he has only one much less UFC struggle than Swanson. “Sensitive” has been round and even when he by no means comes near preventing for a title, he deserves loads of respect.

In order that’s what I’m giving this matchup of 145-pound veterans. Respect, my full consideration, and many love.

Meshew: My colleagues are mistaken as a result of there is just one acceptable reply for this query: When the heavyweight GOAT is competing, you must all the time tune in.

As soon as upon a time, I made the case that Andrei Arlovski has a legitimate argument for being the UFC’s heavyweight GOAT. It’s a fairly easy argument: he’s a former UFC champion and he’s amassed completely ridiculous stats for longevity and excellence. Arlovski DOMINATES the remainder of his division for many fights within the UFC, most octagon time, most strikes, and a handful of different classes. And that was two years in the past! Since writing that, Arlovski has fought 4 extra instances within the promotion, transferring second all-time in fights within the promotion. Doing that at heavyweight is INSANE.

Arlovski is 45 years previous and a far cry from his peak years, however the reality is that this man is in the course of doing one thing that can probably by no means be matched. Three a long time of preventing within the UFC, 42 bouts after subsequent weekend (and counting) and over six and a half hours of cage time, all in essentially the most harmful division within the sport. Is it all the time fairly to observe? No. However the truth that this man continues to be competing and nonetheless getting related wins TWO DECADES after he was the heavyweight champion is one thing value celebrating.

Photograph by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC through Getty Photographs

Heck: There’s actually choices, however I’m going with the UFC neatly placing a rising star on an Worldwide Combat Week card—and in a matchup that he ought to look spectacular in— Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri.

Talbott seems to be like a expertise past his years, and the UFC has taken discover. Ghemmouri has a very good document, however he’s going through a man he’s frankly higher in just about all facets of the sport. In Ghemmouri’s UFC debut, he was stopped with a physique kick by William Gomis. And whereas Gomis has been on an ideal run, he doesn’t have the explosiveness that Talbott does.

The 25-year-old will probably be near a -2000 favourite by the point UFC 303 rolls round, and I believe he delivers a efficiency that warrants that sort of hefty line.