Alex Pereira Eyes Return at 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 in June, 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 in Las Vegas. This fight was a rematch of their March encounter, where Pereira lost his belt to Ankalaev by decision after five rounds. Immediately after winning the title, Pereira was seen with a walking boot on his left foot. During a public appearance in Rio de Janeiro this week, Pereira confirmed the fracture in his left foot. The 38-year-old fighter expressed his desire to return in eight months, coinciding with the UFC’s visit to the White House on June 14th.Following his victory at UFC 320, Pereira was scheduled to challenge former heavyweight champion and legend, Jon Jones, but opted for a moment of silence in memory of the recent passing of Jones’s older 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 subsequently announced his intention to return to participate in the White House event. In his statements this week, Pereira did not provide a specific timeframe for his return nor mentioned a particular opponent. There are various 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 suffered fractures in the past and has returned within a timeframe similar to what it would take to compete in June.“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’s going to 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
