Matt Brown dismisses Dana White's Pereira GOAT claim over Jones

Retired UFC welterweight Matt Brown says Dana White is just doing his job by suggesting Alex Pereira could leapfrog Jon Jones in the greatest-of-all-time conversation.

White told Forbes ahead of UFC White House that if Pereira captures the interim heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane on Sunday, the Brazilian would become the sport's GOAT by winning a third championship across different weight classes. Brown, who fought 15 years in the promotion, dismissed the notion as standard promotional hype. "It's promoter talk," Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, per MMA Fighting. "No one's really buying it. Maybe some Brazilian fan of Alex Pereira that doesn't really watch UFC is buying it. But I don't think any halfway knowledgeable person is buying it."

Why Pereira's third title would not eclipse Jones's legacy

Brown acknowledged that becoming a three-division champion represents a historic accomplishment but argued that White is conflating most accomplished with greatest. Jones won titles in two divisions but built his legacy on a decade-plus reign at heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight and an effectively undefeated record spanning 16 years. Pereira entered the UFC with a 3-1 record in MMA and has won belts at middleweight and light heavyweight in rapid succession.

The former welterweight contender also expressed concern that the UFC is drifting toward boxing's model of fighters chasing titles across multiple weight classes rather than defending them. Since Conor McGregor became the promotion's first simultaneous two-division champion in 2016, eight more fighters have won belts in separate divisions. Brown said the trend feels like a slippery slope away from the UFC's traditional identity of champions facing the best in their weight class.

Pereira fights Gane for the interim heavyweight strap Sunday at UFC White House in Washington.

Photo: Senate Democrats / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Matt Brown scoffs at Dana White claiming Alex Pereira could become GOAT over Jon Jones: ‘No one’s really buying it’ | MMA Fighting