While WWE has always had a close relationship with UFC and mixed martial arts, it has only gotten deeper ever since they were purchased by TKO.
Now, WWE and UFC go hand in hand. While there are clearly differences between both products, there’s more than enough love between
This was recently seen when UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira came to WWE Friday Night SmackDown.
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While it was exciting to see the Poatan in the crowd, it was even more exciting to see him interact with a modern-day legend.
ESPN MMA chronicled Pereira meeting up and exchanging merchandise with Roman Reigns, the former Undisputed WWE Champion who held the title for 1,316 days.
“I appreciate your body of work,” Reigns said, per Arda Ocal of ESPN. “Hell of a run so far and we’re excited for what you’re gonna do in the future.”
Pereira is currently ranked as the second-best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, only behind UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev.
Currently, Pereira has a 12-2 record with two wins by knockout and two wins by decision. He has held the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for 362 days.
Pereira has also had a lengthy kickboxing career, boasting a 33-7 record. He has held multiple titles with Glory. He was inducted into the Glory Hall of Fame in 2023.
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Roman Reigns made his WWE debut in 2010 as part of Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE’s developmental territory, which was later rebranded as NXT.
Reigns made his main roster WWE debut on Nov. 18, 2012, as a member of The Shield alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose (now Jon Moxley in AEW).
While all three wrestlers were incredibly talented, Reigns clearly received more of a push from management than the others. By 2015, Reigns was the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
After multiple different title reigns and feuds involving the likes of Brock Lesnar, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Braun Strowman, Reigns would take a temporary leave of absence after he announced that his leukemia had returned after 11 years and was in remission.
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Reigns returned to WWE on Feb. 25, 2019, and immediately put himself back into the main event picture. After taking another hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, Reigns returned and aligned himself with Paul Heyman, beginning the formation of the Bloodline.
What would result was the longest reign in the modern era of professional wrestling, which would come to an end when he lost to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 Night 2.
In his time with WWE, Reigns has won the WWE Championship four times, the WWE Universal Championship twice, the Intercontinental Championship once, the United States Championship once, and the WWE Tag Team Championship once with Seth Rollins.
Reigns also won the Royal Rumble in 2015.
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