Mailbag: Can Alex Pereira pull ahead of Jon Jones in GOAT debates by taking more risks to make UFC history?

Alex Pereira gave up his UFC light heavyweight title to chase a belt in a third division. Will all those risks some day put him ahead of Jon Jones in terms of MMA legacy? (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Cooper Neill via Getty Images Will Jon Jones look back years from now and wish he’d done some things differently in his career, especially if Alex Pereira fights on until he replaces him in some GOAT conversations?

Is there any reason to think Ilia Topuria won’t return from his divorce-related hiatus to dominate the same way as before? All that and more in this week’s mailbag. To ask a question of your own, hit up @BenFowlkesMMA on X or @Ben_Fowlkes on Threads.

Is Jon the GOAT if Alex becomes champ-champ-champ? Will Jon regret never having tried to defend that "title" when he had the chance? — 🍁🍁Screenplaya🍁🍁 (@Screenplaya) March 18, 2026 @Screenplaya: Is Jon the GOAT if Alex becomes champ-champ-champ?

Will Jon regret never having tried to defend that "title" when he had the chance? The thing Jon Jones has over Alex Pereira is a legacy of total dominance over a division for years — basically an entire era of the sport. Apart from one disqualification loss due to his violation of a rule we don’t even have on the books anymore, Jones has an unblemished professional record as a fighter.