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Brett Okamoto
LAS VEGAS — Alex Pereira said he wasn’t himself back in March, when he surrendered his UFC light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev in a five-round decision. Saturday’s rematch indicated he wasn’t lying.
Pereira (14-3) reclaimed the 205-pound championship at UFC 320 in dominant fashion, as he finished Ankalaev via TKO in just 80 seconds. It was a stunning reversal from what happened seven months ago, when Pereira appeared hesitant and timid in what became his first loss in that weight class. He literally almost ran out of his corner in Saturday’s rematch, and put Ankalaev away without barely absorbing a single strike.
“Vengeance is never a good thing, it’s kind of a poison sometimes,” said Pereira, through an interpreter. “I told everyone I was not in good condition last time. Everyone saw it tonight.”
Prior to the rematch, Pereira’s team told ESPN he fought in March with a fractured tibia. He was also sick in the weeks prior to the event, and was placed on antibiotics. He took some time away from the gym after the loss to Ankalaev, and it clearly paid off. He asserted himself as the aggressor from the opening bell, immediately dropped him with a right hand to the chin and finished the bout with elbows from top posiiton.
It’s the 12th knockout win of Pereira’s relatively short MMA career. He was a two-weight champion in a professional kickboxing career that spanned from 2012 to 2021.
