Pereira overtakes Jones, Edwards for No. 2 pound-for-pound

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira made a reasonably large leap on the pound-for-pound list after his knockout win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303.

Pereira surpassed heavyweight champion Jon Jones and welterweight champ Leon Edwards to become the UFC's No. 2-ranked male pound-for-pound fighter. The 36-year-old Brazilian sits underneath only lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev.

Here are the updated rankings, according to MMA reporter John Morgan:

Pereira knocked out Prochazka in the second round of the UFC 303 main event this past weekend in Las Vegas, recording his second consecutive title defense at 205 pounds.

It was Pereira's second victory over Prochazka after he also knocked out the Czech fighter at UFC 295 last November to capture the vacant belt.

Despite Pereira's and Makhachev's recent success, UFC CEO Dana White has remained firm that Jones should be No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings.

"Jon Jones has never lost a fight ever. He's fought all the baddest dudes in the world. ... As long as Jon Jones is still fighting, active, and in the rankings, yeah, nobody (else) is pound-for-pound best fighter in the world," White said in June.

Jones has been idle since he captured the vacant heavyweight championship with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane in March 2023. Jones, widely considered one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, is expected to defend his title against Stipe Miocic in late 2024.

Edwards is scheduled to defend the 170-pound throne for the third time against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 on July 27.