Henry Cejudo: Alex Pereira ‘top 5 greatest of all time’ only if he beats Ciryl Gane, Tom Aspinall

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 06: Alex Pereira looks on from the balcony of the White House on May 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Zuffa LLC)

Alex Pereira can become the first UFC fighter ever to win a title in three divisions, but does that achievement make him the best ever to compete inside the octagon? Henry Cejudo isn’t so sure.

On Cejudo and Kamaru Usman’s Pound 4 Pound podcast, the fighters answered a fan question regarding how much Pereira’s legacy can grow if he defeats Ciryl Gane for an interim heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC White House on June 14. Pereira previously held UFC championships at 205 and 185 pounds, and no UFC athlete has ever held gold in three weight classes, interim or no.

Cejudo conceded that the one-of-a-kind feat plus a subsequent win over undisputed champion Tom Aspinall would put Pereira into a new tier of recognition, but not at the very top of the GOAT list.

“He’s in the top 5 greatest of all time,” Cejudo said.

When Usman asked Cejudo why becoming “champ-champ-champ” wouldn’t make Pereira No. 1, Cejudo countered that Pereira’s path to his championship opportunities was easier compared to some of MMA’s legends.

“No, because there’s a big difference because he was kind of pushed to the title at 185,” Cejudo said. “He was pushed to the title at light heavyweight. And now he’s being pushed to the title. It’s different when you actually run through the weight class like you did, like Jon Jones did, that shit is f*cking hard. Now if you’re able to do that, go up run through the next one, go up run through that next one, that’s a big difference. I’m not hating, I’m just telling the truth.”

Cejudo added that Pereira has benefited from recency bias, with former stars like Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, B.J. Penn, Randy Couture, and Daniel Cormier being pushed out of their spots on the all-time great rankings to make room for newer champions that are arguably less accomplished.

For Usman, Pereira has to be considered for the No. 1 spot if he succeeds at setting a precedent at UFC White House.