Pereira REGAINS the title: KO in 80 seconds to Ankalaev at UFC 320

LAS VEGAS – Alex Pereira demonstrated his power by reclaiming the UFC light heavyweight title, defeating Magomed Ankalaev in an impressive display of strength and skill. Pereira, showing a renewed version of himself, knocked out Ankalaev with ground strikes just 80 seconds into the first round. This result marked a radical change from the March fight, where Pereira had lost the title by decision. Pereira’s performance was remarkably superior, outstriking Ankalaev with a 28-4 advantage in total strikes. This triumph not only returned the championship to him, but also represented the fastest knockout of his MMA career and the second fastest in the history of UFC light heavyweight titles. Pereira’s victory over Ankalaev was the first knockout loss in the latter’s career, who previously had an undefeated streak of 14 fights.

Revenge is never good; sometimes it’s like a poison.

Alex Pereira

During the week leading up to the UFC 320 event, it was revealed that Pereira had fought Ankalaev in March with a fractured tibia and under the effects of antibiotics, which limited his performance to only 40% of his capacity.

Pereira, upon winning the title, became the third light heavyweight champion in UFC history to win it twice, joining legends like Couture and Jon Jones. In the post-fight interview, Pereira requested a moment of silence in honor of Jones and his family, following the death of his brother. After this victory, Pereira has multiple options for his next fight. He could face Jiri Procházka, who recently won his fight, or Carlos Ulberg. Another possibility is that Pereira moves up to the heavyweight category, where he could fight Jones or the winner of the fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane.

UFC CEO Dana White has shown some caution regarding the possibility of Pereira moving up to heavyweight, highlighting the difficulty this could pose for a fighter who began his career at 185 pounds. However, White did not completely rule out the idea and mentioned that it would be discussed with Pereira’s team.

Ankalaev, for his part, could face a long road to get another title opportunity.