Pereira Reclaims UFC Title: KO in 80 Seconds Against Ankalaev

Alex Pereira Recaptures UFC Light Heavyweight Championship with Dominant Victory

Las Vegas – Alex Pereira proved that his defeat in March against Magomed Ankalaev did not reflect his true level. In an electrifying rematch at UFC 320, Pereira regained the light heavyweight title with a dominant performance, finishing Ankalaev in the first round. Pereira (14-3) won with authority, stopping Ankalaev (21-2-1) with ground strikes at 80 seconds of the first round. This victory represented a radical change from their previous encounter, where he seemed hesitant. Pereira’s performance was impressive, coming out aggressively from the start and overpowering Ankalaev without taking much damage. This was the fastest finish of his MMA career and the second-fastest in UFC light heavyweight championship history, only surpassed by Vitor Belfort’s victory over Randy Couture in 2004. For Ankalaev, this was the first knockout loss of his career, ending an undefeated streak of 14 fights.

“Revenge is never good; sometimes it’s like poison,” Pereira declared through an interpreter. “I told everyone I wasn’t in good shape last time. Everyone saw it tonight.”

Alex Pereira

During UFC 320 week, Pereira’s team revealed that he had fought Ankalaev in March with a fractured tibia. In addition, he was sick and receiving antibiotics, which limited his performance to 40% of his capacity. In Saturday’s fight, Pereira showed his best version, dominating the center of the octagon and pressuring Ankalaev with strikes. A right hand to Ankalaev’s chin weakened him, and finally, Pereira secured the victory with elbows from the top position. The total strikes statistic was 28-4 in favor of Pereira. After the fight, Pereira repeated the mocking gesture he used after knocking out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April 2024. The tension between both fighters had increased during UFC 320 fight week, with Pereira accusing Ankalaev of avoiding him and lying about his refusal for a rematch.

With this victory, Pereira achieved the 12th knockout of his MMA career and became the third UFC light heavyweight champion to win the title twice, sharing this honor with Couture and Jon Jones. In his post-fight interview, Pereira asked for a moment of silence for Jones and his family, following the death of his brother. Pereira has multiple options for his next fight, including matchups with Jiri Procházka, who defeated Khalil Rountree Jr., or Carlos Ulberg, who knocked out Dominick Reyes. There is also the possibility that he will move up to heavyweight to face Jones or the winner of the fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. UFC CEO Dana White commented on the possibility of Pereira competing at heavyweight, revealing that Pereira’s team had expressed interest. White showed some caution, mentioning the difficulty of moving up two weight classes for a fighter who began his career at 185 pounds. Pereira is already a champion in two UFC divisions (light heavyweight and middleweight). So far, there has not been a champion in three divisions in UFC history.

“He was a middleweight, and he’s going to go up two weight classes in the UFC?” White said. “It’s not like going up two weight classes in boxing. It’s a big jump. And it’s not that I have any reservations about it. He’s in a division where there are still some interesting fights. I don’t know, I like the guy a lot. We’ll see. We’ll have to talk about it.”

Dana White

For Ankalaev, 33, the path to re-contending for the championship could be long. Before his first title opportunity in 2022, Ankalaev had a nine-fight winning streak. Then, he had to win two more fights in 2024 to get another shot against Pereira.