UFC 295 rundown: Alex Pereira's rise to 2-division champ is one of a kind

Alex Pereira captured a UFC title in a second division Saturday, becoming the new light heavyweight champion with a second-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 295 main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.

In the co-headliner, Tom Aspinall realized his dream of a UFC championship, winning the interim heavyweight belt with a blistering 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich.

Here are five takeaways from the pay-per-view card.

Pereira's rise from MMA noob to 2-division champ is one of a kind

When you sit down and think about how long it took Pereira to build up his historic MMA resume, you realize the sport has never quite seen someone like him.

In just 11 pro bouts and seven UFC appearances, Pereira has become the ninth two-division champion in UFC history, the second Brazilian to achieve the feat after Amanda Nunes, and the first fighter to ever win titles at both light heavyweight and middleweight.

Pereira has been in the UFC for two years and has won belts in as many divisions.

He reached championships in two divisions faster than the eight fighters before him, with only Randy Couture (nine UFC bouts) and BJ Penn (12) coming close.

If you take into account that Pereira is a former two-division champion in GLORY Kickboxing, there is no doubt he's enjoying one of the most remarkable and impressive careers in combat sports history. What he's done is hard to comprehend.

It should be noted Pereira was well into his 30s - he's currently 36 years old - when he signed with the UFC in 2021. We're not talking about a young fighter who was entering his prime and constantly evolving his game. This was a seasoned fighter who knew what he was good at and improbably, yet masterfully, modified his kickboxing skill set to be proficient in MMA and became the king of not one, but two divisions.

In six Octagon wins, Pereira has beaten four people who have held UFC gold: Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Jan Blachowicz, and now Prochazka. Fast-tracked to title shots or not, Pereira has made the most of each and every opportunity.

As something of a side note, Pereira is the UFC's unofficial king of Madison Square Garden. He became the first fighter to headline an event in the arena twice - twice in a row no less. Pereira made his UFC debut there in November 2021, stopped Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title in the 2022 MSG main event, and now finished Prochazka. A perfect 3-0 at "The World's Most Famous Arena." Wild stuff.

It would be an exaggeration to say Pereira is an all-time great. He's not there yet. But I'd be damned if I didn't say the UFC's new light heavyweight champion has defied the odds and become a surefire Hall of Famer in record speed.

Still a bit of uncertainty at the top of 205 pounds

Not to rain on Pereira's parade - because he deserves all the praise and then some - but he still has work to do to establish himself as the clear-cut light heavyweight king.

Pereira does deserve to be ranked No. 1 in the world at light heavyweight after finishing Prochazka. Going into UFC 295, many viewed Prochazka as No. 1. After all, he beat Glover Teixeira for the title in June 2022 and never lost the belt in the cage. That said - and some of you won't like this - I need to see Pereira beat Jamahal Hill before being able to confidently say Pereira is the best at 205 pounds.

Hill, the former light heavyweight champion, relinquished the title due to injury in July. "Sweet Dreams" got the unexpected championship opportunity after Prochazka gave up the belt, and he made the most of it, dominating Teixeira for five rounds in January.

I was one of many people who still had Prochazka ahead of Hill in their personal light heavyweight rankings after that fight. But I can't get the image of Hill battering Teixeira out of my head. I know MMA math doesn't work, but the fact Teixeira was just seconds away from beating Prochazka in their June 2022 title bout and then got destroyed by Hill seven months later has to mean something. Right?

Also, Pereira's win over Prochazka wasn't a one-sided beatdown that left zero doubt. Prochazka won the first round on all three judges' scorecards and seemed to be mostly in control of Round 2 before the finish. Pereira and Prochazka could fight 100 times and they might get 50 wins each. It's that kind of matchup.

Light heavyweight has been a turbulent division for the better part of four years, ever since longtime champion Jon Jones relinquished the title in 2020 to move up to heavyweight. Ideally, Pereira's win over Prochazka will lead to some much-needed consistency and clarity in the division. And a Pereira win over Hill (or vice versa) will definitely do that. But until then, the landscape at 205 pounds is still a bit foggy.

Aspinall is the most legitimate interim champ in a while

There was a time not long ago when Aspinall and Chris Daukaus were viewed as the two most promising up-and-comers in the heavyweight division. We - and I am speaking for the entire MMA community here - may have missed on Daukaus. But boy did we get the other one right.

Just moments into Saturday's co-main event, Aspinall absorbed a couple hard shots from Pavlovich - who had won six straight fights via first-round knockout coming in - and then fired back with a pair of right hands to the temple, crumpling the Russian. Aspinall was immediately emotional, which made sense. This was his dream.

Aspinall may just be an interim champion for now, but there's no doubt about it: Jon Jones' heir to the heavyweight throne has officially arrived.

The Englishman is the most undisputed-feeling interim champion in the UFC in a long time - maybe ever. Jones is recovering from an injury and will defend his belt against former champ Stipe Miocic in 2024. But what will happen after that is unclear. Jones has hinted he may walk away from MMA. Miocic, who's 41 years old, seems semi-retired already. Aspinall might end up beginning his reign as the baddest man on the planet without even stepping into the Octagon.

Even if the winner of Jones-Miocic decides to stick around and unify the titles with Aspinall, the newly crowned interim champ is easily the toughest test available for both men. It is very likely some MMA pundits would even pick Aspinall to beat Jones. Aspinall is that good. He has devastating knockout power, elite-level grappling and submissions, and the movement of a welterweight.

Aspinall is here to stay.

Jones-Aspinall is suddenly a dream fight

There is a low chance of Jones-Aspinall ever happening. Jones has gone as far as to say he has no interest in fighting the new breed of heavyweights like Aspinall. Jones is one of the greatest fighters of all time and has nothing to prove, so he can't be blamed for not wanting to take a high-risk, low-reward matchup in the final stage of his career. Miocic, the most accomplished heavyweight in UFC history, is a bigger name - and frankly an easier fight.

But man. After Saturday, Jones-Aspinall is suddenly one of the fights I want to see most.

We don't see much of Aspinall when he steps into the Octagon. Seven of his eight UFC bouts have ended in the first round, many of them in 75 seconds or less. But from what we have seen, Aspinall has a good shot at ruling over the division for quite a while once Jones and Miocic ride off into the sunset. He is well-rounded with finishing ability in every department.

If anyone can beat Jones, it's Aspinall. The 30-year-old Brit would be the most compelling opponent for Jones in years.

And Jones-Aspinall is a much bigger fight than it was 48 hours ago. Aspinall's stock skyrocketed with the win over Pavlovich. And his name value is rapidly growing, too. It's a shame Jones and Aspinall will probably never square off in the cage.

Saint-Denis, Lopes put their divisions on notice

A couple of up-and-comers made their mark on the UFC 295 undercard.

French lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis rattled Matt Frevola's brain with a highlight-reel head-kick knockout and then cut a sweet promo in which he called for a shot at the BMF title.

Saint-Denis is 5-1 in the UFC, with his only loss coming in his debut in 2021, and all five of those wins are finishes. He is quickly becoming one of the most violent fighters in the UFC. After beating the No. 14-ranked Frevola, it won't be much longer before the 27-year-old finds himself in some meaningful matchups.

One division below at featherweight, Diego Lopes starched Pat Sabatini in the first round. Lopes made his UFC debut in May, putting on a solid performance in defeat against top 145-pounder Movsar Evloev. The Brazilian bounced back in his second Octagon appearance with a first-round submission of Gavin Tucker. Now he has a winning record in the promotion.

Lopes also works as a coach and guided Alexa Grasso to a shocking upset of Valentina Shevchenko to claim the women's flyweight title in March. Lopes has had a heck of a year, and it seems like he's just getting started.