UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is back atop the MMA mountaintop after knocking out Magomed Ankalaev in a rematch earlier this month to exact revenge from a decision defeat he suffered in March.

Before Pereira became a pound-for-pound kingpin and a face for the UFC, he was a middleweight and light heavyweight champion with GLORY Kickboxing who tallied a 33-7 record (21 KOs) in the sport.

“Poatan” Pereira has taken MMA by storm since joining the UFC in 2021 and becoming a two-division champion along the way. And now, the 38-year-old Brazilian is planning to cross over and make his mark in boxing.

"I am definitely going to box," Pereira told Connect Cast. "Look, I made it clear that I want to fight boxing. Same thing, right? When I got into kickboxing, they didn't believe me. MMA, same thing. Boxing, they'll say the same thing. But I'm used to it, I don't care. I just want to go out there and fight. It's not about aiming for more money. I like a challenge. I want to be the best."

Earlier this year, Pereira challenged Oleksandr Usyk. It was a gesture that the undisputed heavyweight champion from Ukraine mildly entertained.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou proved against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua that if there is money to be made and public demand for such matchups, the crossover clashes will come to fruition.

For the time being, Pereira (13-3, 11 KOs MMA) is planning on more legacy-defining fights in MMA and wants to move up to heavyweight to face Jon Jones.