Daniel Cormier tells Alex Pereira he's not GOAT yet despite UFC White House title shot
Daniel Cormier delivered an uncomfortable truth to Alex Pereira this week when the heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion asked if beating Ciryl Gane would make him the greatest fighter of all time.
Cormier said no.
Speaking at UFC White House media day on Wednesday, the former two-division titleholder told reporters that Pereira pressed him directly on the question — a tricky spot given that the Brazilian has bulked up for his heavyweight debut. "Alex just asked me that directly, and he's big now so that's a hard question to answer in front of him when he's that big," Cormier said, per MMA Fighting. "I actually told him no. I told him that I don't think he'd be the greatest just yet."
Why Cormier says Pereira needs more heavyweight wins
Pereira fights Gane on Sunday for an interim heavyweight strap, chasing history as the first fighter to hold UFC gold in three weight classes. Dana White has already called Pereira the GOAT if he wins, surpassing even Jon Jones in White's personal rankings. But Cormier believes one title across three divisions is not enough to leapfrog legends like Georges St-Pierre or Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"He would need to defend the championship at heavyweight," Cormier explained. "He's fought for that [light heavyweight] title a lot of times. I think that he just needs more work." Cormier acknowledged that becoming a three-division champion is among the greatest accomplishments in MMA history, separating Pereira from every other fighter who has stepped in the octagon. Still, longevity and title defenses matter when stacking résumés against GSP's welterweight dynasty or Khabib's unbeaten run.
Pereira and Gane weigh in Friday, with the interim heavyweight title fight closing out the UFC's first card at the White House on Sunday night.
Original reporting:
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