Pereira regains the title in 80 seconds: Ankalaev had no chance! UFC

Alex Pereira Recaptures UFC Light Heavyweight Title with Dominant Victory

LAS VEGAS – Alex Pereira demonstrated his power by reclaiming the UFC light heavyweight championship, defeating Magomed Ankalaev in an impressive fight that ended in the first round. Pereira, who had lost the title to Ankalaev in March, showed a renewed and dominant version. The rematch, held at UFC 320, was a clear demonstration of Pereira’s determination. He finished Ankalaev with ground strikes just 80 seconds into the fight. This victory not only returned the belt to him, but also marked the fastest knockout of his MMA career and the second fastest in UFC light heavyweight history. The fight on Saturday was a radical change from the previous fight, where Pereira was cautious. This time, he came out aggressively from the start, leaving Ankalaev with no chance. The knockout loss was the first in Ankalaev’s career, who came from an undefeated streak of 14 fights.

Revenge is never a good thing; sometimes it’s like poison. I told everyone I wasn’t in good shape last time. Everyone saw it tonight.

Alex Pereira

During the fight week, Pereira’s team revealed that he had fought Ankalaev in March with a fractured tibia, in addition to being sick and under treatment with antibiotics. These circumstances limited his performance, estimating that he was only at 40% of his capacity. On Saturday, Pereira looked in top form. He dominated the center of the octagon and connected with strikes that weakened Ankalaev, culminating in elbow strikes from a dominant position. Pereira outstruck Ankalaev in total strikes, with a margin of 28-4. After the victory, Pereira repeated the provocative gesture he made after knocking out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, showing the tension that existed between both fighters during the week before the fight. Pereira accused Ankalaev of avoiding him and lying about his supposed lack of interest in the rematch.

With this victory, Pereira adds the 12th knockout in his MMA career and becomes the third two-time light heavyweight champion in UFC history, alongside legends like Randy Couture and Jon Jones. In his post-fight interview, Pereira requested a moment of silence in memory of Arthur Jones, brother of Jon Jones, who recently passed away. Pereira, after regaining the title, has various options for his next fight, including matchups with Jiri Procházka, who secured a notable victory on Saturday, and Carlos Ulberg, who also achieved a knockout in his recent bout. Another possibility for Pereira is to move up to the heavyweight category, where he could face Jon Jones or the winner of the fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. However, UFC CEO Dana White expressed some caution about this idea, considering that it would be a big jump for a fighter who started his UFC career in the 185-pound category. Pereira is already a champion in two UFC categories (light heavyweight and middleweight), and there is still no fighter who has managed to be a champion in three different categories within the organization. As for Ankalaev, a long road is anticipated to get another opportunity for the championship.