In the quiet moments between his UFC title fights, his exhaustive training rounds and his endless media obligations, Alex Pereira still struggles to believe what he's accomplished as a professional fighter.

"Honestly speaking, no," the Brazilian told B/R when asked if he ever believed he'd be in his current position when his combat sports career started.

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Pereira got his start in combat sports as a kickboxer. After winning the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in the hallowed Glory ring, he then transitioned into MMA and later made it to the UFC, where he first won the middleweight title with a knockout of the great Israel Adesanya.

After losing that belt in a rematch, he claimed the vacant light heavyweight title with a knockout of Jiri Prochazka late last year.

"Even to achieve what I achieved in kickboxing before was hard for me to envision," he said. "Once I started to become a very good kickboxer, and conquering that sport, I started to imagine I could do damage in the UFC. I knew I could make a big statement in the UFC, but not this fast, and not this far."

Indeed, Pereira has achieved more in the UFC than most fighters could ever dream of—and having debuted with the promotion well under three years ago, he has done it all with staggering quickness.

Most would agree that Pereira's next fight will be the biggest of his career. The Brazilian is set to defend his light heavyweight title against former champion Jamahal Hill in the main event of Saturday's landmark UFC 300 card in Las Vegas.

UFC 300 stands out as the deepest card the promotion has ever put together and figures to be one of its most watched ever, but you will not see Pereira squinting in the lights as he makes his walk to the Octagon to fight Hill in the headlining attraction.

For the Brazilian, fighting for major titles in front of throngs of people is as commonplace as going to the dentist or filing taxes for the rest of us.

"If you stop and think about it, some fighters come from the regional circuit, they're fighting in their own countries on a smaller scale, then they go to the big shows and they feel a difference," he said. "I fought in front of more than 30,000 people when I was in Glory, which is the biggest kickboxing organization in the world. I don't think I've fought in front of that many people in the UFC, and the level of opponents I fought in Glory, I fought the all-time bests in my weight classes.

"Putting all of that together made me very, very seasoned when I got to the UFC. There were no jitters—nothing. I was prepared."

Do not mistake Pereira's comfort under the bright lights for overconfidence.

He has a lot of respect for Hill, particularly after the American defeated his long-time coach and mentor Glover Teixeira to become a UFC champion.

"He's a former champion," Pereira said of his UFC 300 opponent. "He's well-rounded. In terms of striking, I think our levels are a bit far apart, but he's a very strong guy, and he hits hard.

At 36, and with over 50 professional fights in the rearview mirror, Pereira has reached the point of his career where many other fighters would begin slowing down, but the Brazilian has no plans to take his foot off the gas.

As focused as he is on his UFC 300 showdown with Hill, he's hoping to land a spot on the promotion's very next pay-per-view, slated for May 4 in his home of Brazil.

His placement on that card will depend on his getting past Hill unscathed, but he believes it's possible.

"I can definitely, absolutely fight at UFC 301," he said. "Everything will be fine, as long as I don't have injuries. If I leave this fight [with Hill] injury free, I'll use this training camp to fight on that card against anybody the UFC puts in front of me."

Pereira has options for his next title defense, whether it occurs at UFC 301 or further down the road. A rematch with Hill is a possibility, depending on how things go at UFC 300. Russia's Magomed Ankalaev has been waiting for a title shot for what seems like forever. The winner of a UFC 300 undercard fight between Prochazka and Aleksandar Rakic will also be in prime position to fight for the belt.

For Pereira, however, the opponent doesn't matter.

When asked if there are any light heavyweights he's particularly interested in fighting, he responded with total indifference.

"Absolutely nobody," he said.

It should come as no surprise that, after fighting the best kickboxers on earth and defeating the likes of Sean Strickland, Adesanya, Jan Blachowicz and Prochazka in the Octagon, Pereira is no longer concerned with the other name on his bout offers.

His sole motivation is a desire to cement himself as one of the greatest combat sports athletes ever.

"What motivates me is to keep writing history," he said. "That motivation never ends.

"People say, 'When will it end?' It will end when I can't fight anymore. As long as I can keep fighting, I'll keep going."

It remains to be seen what more Pereira can accomplish before he fights his last fight, but it's safe to say that the trajectory of his remaining career depends greatly on the outcome of his looming fight with Hill.

The Brazilian didn't offer a specific prediction for the fight, but he laid out plans to defeat his rival as cleanly as possible—if only to better his chances of fighting again next month.

"Every fighter says in their interviews that this was the best camp of their lives, but this actually has been our best camp in the UFC so far," he said. "Honestly, I just want to win in good fashion, whether it's a decision or knockout or submission."