Alex Pereira Eyes Return in the White House After Fracture
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira revealed his plans to focus on a possible fight at the UFC event at the White House in June, after suffering a fracture in his left foot during his recent title fight. Pereira, with a record of 13-3, regained the 205-pound championship by knocking out Magomed Ankalaev in just 80 seconds at UFC 320 in Las Vegas. This fight was a rematch of their previous encounter in March, where Pereira lost the belt by decision after five rounds. After recovering the title, Pereira was seen with an orthopedic boot on his left foot. In a public appearance in Rio de Janeiro, the 38-year-old fighter confirmed the fracture, mentioning his hope of returning in eight months, coinciding with the UFC’s visit to the White House on June 14.Originally, Pereira intended to challenge Jon Jones after his victory at UFC 320, but opted for a moment of silence in honor of the recent passing of Jones’s brother, former NFL player Arthur Jones. Pereira and Jones have expressed mutual interest in facing each other in the past. Jones, who retired from MMA earlier this year, has announced plans to return and participate in the event at the White House.“I had an X-ray in Las Vegas and then an MRI in Brazil,” Pereira said in Portuguese. “It showed a fracture in my foot, 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
During the week, Pereira did not provide a specific schedule for his return nor a defined opponent. There are several options for his next challenge, including a title defense against contenders like Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg, or a possible 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 fight in June.
