Alex Pereira Focused on White House Event After Fracture
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has revealed his plans following his recent victory and the injury sustained during the fight. Pereira, who regained the 205-pound championship by knocking out Magomed Ankalaev in just 80 seconds at UFC 320, is now focusing on a possible fight at the White House event in June. The fight was a rematch of the encounter in March, where Pereira lost the belt by decision after five rounds. After the victory, Pereira was seen with an orthopedic boot on his left foot. In a public appearance in Rio de Janeiro, Pereira reported that he suffered a fracture in his left foot.Pereira, 38 years old, expects to return in eight months, coinciding with the UFC’s visit to the White House on June 14. Initially, Pereira planned to challenge former heavyweight champion Jon Jones after his victory, but opted for a moment of silence in memory of Jones’s brother, 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 White House event. Pereira did not reveal an estimated date for his return nor a specific opponent. There are several options for his next challenge, including a title defense against contenders like Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg, or a jump to heavyweight to face the winner of this month’s title fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. Pereira has suffered bone fractures previously and has returned in a timeframe similar to what it would take to fight in June.I had an X-ray in Las Vegas and then an MRI in Brazil. It showed a fracture in my foot, but I still don’t know what’s going to happen or how long it will take me to recover. I think it’s good to focus on this fight [at the White House]. That’s something that interests me now.
Alex Pereira
