Alex Pereira Focused on White House Event After Fracture
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira revealed that he is focused on a possible fight at the UFC’s White House event in June, after suffering a fracture in his left foot during his title fight last weekend.
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 last weekend. This championship main event was a rematch of a March matchup, where Pereira lost his belt to Ankalaev by decision in five rounds. Immediately after regaining the belt, Pereira was seen with a walking boot on his left foot.
In a public appearance this week in Rio de Janeiro, Pereira announced that he suffered a fracture in his left foot. The 38-year-old fighter expects to return in eight months, coinciding with the UFC’s visit to the White House on June 14.
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]. Now, that’s something that interests me.
Pereira planned to challenge former heavyweight champion and legend Jon Jones after his victory at UFC 320, but instead requested a moment of silence for the recent passing of Jones’s older brother, former NFL player Arthur Jones.
This week, Pereira did not reveal a schedule for his return nor a specific opponent. Several options exist 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 in the past and has returned within a timeframe similar to what it would take to fight in June.
