Alex Pereira Eyes White House Event After Fracture
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has revealed his plans to focus on a possible fight at the UFC event at the White House, scheduled for June. This decision comes after suffering a fracture in his left foot during his recent title fight. Pereira (13-3) regained his 205-pound championship by knocking out Magomed Ankalaev (21-2-1) in just 80 seconds at UFC 320, held last week in Las Vegas. This fight was a rematch of their March encounter, where Pereira lost the belt to Ankalaev by decision after five rounds. Immediately after winning the title, Pereira was seen with a walking boot on his left foot. In a public appearance in Rio de Janeiro, Pereira confirmed the fracture in his left foot. The 38-year-old fighter expects to return in eight months, coinciding with the UFC’s visit to the White House on June 14.Following his victory at UFC 320, Pereira initially intended to challenge former heavyweight champion Jon Jones, but opted for a moment of silence in memory of the passing of Jones’ brother, former NFL player Arthur Jones. Pereira and Jones have expressed mutual interest in facing each other in the past. Jones retired from MMA earlier this year, but has announced plans to return and participate in the White House event. During this week, Pereira did not provide a specific timeframe for his return nor mentioned his possible opponent. There are several options for his next challenge, including a title defense against contenders like Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg, or a move up to heavyweight to face the winner of this month’s title fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. Pereira has experienced bone fractures before and has managed to recover in a timeframe similar to what it would take to be ready to fight in June.I had an X-ray in Las Vegas and then an MRI in Brazil. A fracture in my foot was shown, but I still don’t know what will happen or how long the recovery will take. I think it’s good to focus on this fight at the White House. Now, that’s something that interests me.
Alex Pereira
