PFL's unbeaten Alexei Pergande aims to shake prospect label, potentially enter tournament

USA Today

2 days ago

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – One of PFL's brightest prospects, Alexi Pergande, is eager to prove he's much more than that.
The 24-year-old Pergande (6-0) is undefeated and quickly turning heads early in his career. All of his pro bouts have taken place within the PFL ecosystem, so he's been given a big platform to perform since the beginning. To some, that could be daunting, and Pergande admits he was no different.
"The first few fights, I was definitely nervous to be on the bigger stage, but I feel like now I've crossed that border, that barrier, where now it's just excitement," Pergande told MMA Junkie at American Top Team. "Now, I just want to go in there. I want to do something flashy. As you can see, I always have those flying knees. I have elbows, I have back flips – everything I can to get the crowd excited, and to me, I'm a performer. I just love to do that."
While Pergande embraces a flashy style to captivate the fans, his MMA idol, Georges St-Pierre, was a little more reserved in that aspect. He's picked up things from GSP that he implements in his game, that he hopes will help inspire future generations of martial artists.
"Just because how humble he was and his skills in martial arts in general, he brought those two things really well together," Pergande said. "He wasn't quiet, but he was just very humble and just went out there and did his thing, and then moved on to the next thing – and that's kind of how I want to be. I love to inspire people and inspire the younger generation. I've been very active on TikTok and Whatnot and I've built a very big fanbase on there. I've inspired so many people that reached out to me and said, 'Hey, I started my martial arts career because of you.' To me, that's all I really need."
In his second fight of the year, Pergande takes on Ethan Goss in a featherweight bout at 2025 PFL World Tournament 10: Finals on Aug. 21. It's his first main card placement of what he anticipates will be many. While Goss (12-7) doesn't bring a record that jumps off the page, Pergande expects he'll be mixing it up with the next level of competition next year, and is eyeing a potential entry into next year's PFL tournament.
"One or two more fights, I'll be facing the guys that are in the tournament right now," Pergande said. "Possibly even, we'll see about next year if I'll be in there. We'll see. I'm not going to say anything yet, but that's on the horizon. I'm at the point in my career where I don't care who I fight anymore. Anyone PFL offers me, I say yes. It's up to them at this point. I'll say yes to anyone."