While there have been several legendary fighters who’ve achieved incomparable feats in the UFC, only a couple of them have stood out for the ‘Voice of the UFC’, Bruce Buffer. The veteran ring announcer once mentioned that he has reserved a label for two of the most impactful fighters in MMA -Jon Jones and Conor McGregor. Now, a former UFC champion believes that another fighter may be ‘deserving’ of that label as well.
Well, what is the label we’re talking about here? It is the iconic ‘The One, The Only’ line that Bruce Buffer uses whenever he introduces Jon Jones and Conor McGregor because of the sheer influence they had on mixed martial arts. Recently, former featherweight champion Max Holloway made a case for Alex Pereira to be the third fighter to get ‘The One, The Only’ label, and he made a pretty good argument for it.
Alex Pereira has become the one that gets fans excited for each of his fights as he’s been one of the most active champions in the current era. Moreover, he’s stepped up for Dana White on more occasions than one. UFC 303, where ‘Poatan’ stepped in to headline the event on short notice because of Conor McGregor’s pullout, serves as an excellent example. Not to mention Pereira’s willingness to step inside the Octagon against whoever the UFC chooses as his opponent. Max Holloway, keeping all these things in mind, believes the light heavyweight champion has earned his due.
“I think Bruce Buffer should announce Alex Pereira as ‘The One, The Only,’” Max Holloway stated during a recent interview. “He’s one of the mans that deserves it.” Meanwhile, ESPN shared a clip of ‘Blessed’s interview in an Instagram post and it came to Jon Jones‘s attention. While Conor McGregor has yet to say something about Holloway’s comments, ‘Bones’ seems to agree with it because he liked the Instagram post.
So a couple of former champions appear to be on Alex Pereira’s side, but do the fans feel the same? Well, their reactions are a bit divisive, but it’s mostly in the positive for the UFC light heavyweight champion.
Most fans believe Alex Pereira deserves to be called ‘The One, The Only’
From Brazil to the USA; from Australia to South Korea, Alex Pereira is literally a star everywhere he goes. His headlined PPV events have racked in millions in ticket sales, and that too, at a consistent rate. He’s adored by other combat sports athletes, artists, and all kinds of celebrities. So yes, the fans are in agreement that Pereira deserves the special honor from Bruce, and one fan claimed, “Considering his current starpower, imo he deserves it.”
Meanwhile, Alex Pereira has a big fight coming up against Magomed Ankalaev, who’s touted to be the toughest opponent ‘Poatan’ hasn’t faced. Moreover, he’s raising concerns amongst fans and known MMA figures, as he was seen enjoying a Drake concert in Australia this close to his UFC 313 headliner. Is he undermining Ankalaev? If that is really the case, then he might lose the chance to earn Bruce Buffer’s special tag because fans want him to beat the Dagestan native and cement his status in the 205-pound division first. “If he beats ankalaev I think he definitely deserves it,” one fan commented.
With one fan claiming, “Alex speed ran a hall of fame legacy,” implying that his record has already made him a legend, another fan brought up Alex Pereira’s dream of winning a third belt. “Poatan’ has mentioned numerous times about becoming the first fighter to win three UFC belts, and guess what? Jon Jones is already waiting for him to say yes to their fight. That potential triple-champ status would leave Bruce Buffer with no choice but to call Pereira ‘The One, The Only’. “When he’s going for triple champ status, Bruce should definitely do it.”
October 5, 2024, Salt Lake City, Ut, Salt Lake City, Ut, United States: Alex Pereira in a 5-round light heavyweight title bout at the Delta Center for UFC307 – Pereira vs Rountree Jr. on October 5, 2024 in Salt Lake City, UT, United States. /PxImages Salt Lake City, Ut United States – ZUMAp175 20241005_zsa_p175_709 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
In a hilarious response to Max Holloway’s comments, one fan name-dropped a featherweight star who’s garnered some serious backlash recently for his controversial statements. “Bruce should do this for bryce mitchell,” that fan said. But is there anyone else who deserves it more? Well, an Instagram user seems to think so as his pick was Islam Makhachev, the greatest lightweight in UFC history – “Islam deserves it more.”
Well, everyone has their picks for who they think deserves the Bruce Buffer honor. For the moment, after looking at the current landscape, most fans believe that ‘The One, The Only’ tag should be reserved for Jon Jones and Conor McGregor. “Love Alex but not yet. If Jon jones qualified for it after almost a decade Alex gotta wait to. Only ones it makes sense for is Conor and Jon atm,” that user added.
Well, Jon Jones, Max Holloway, and the fans have spoken. Now, let us know what you think of Alex Pereira’s admission into the top-most echelon of MMA greatness. Drop your comments below.
The post Jon Jones Approves as Alex Pereira Proposed to Get Elevated to ‘The One, The Only’ Status by Bruce Buffer; Fans React appeared first on EssentiallySports.