Pereira Reclaims Light Heavyweight Title with First-Round Knockout of Ankalaev at UFC 320
alex Pereira emphatically reclaimed the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 320 on Saturday, defeating Magomed Ankalaev by knockout in just 1 minute and 20 seconds. The victory avenged Pereira’s prior loss to Ankalaev in March 2023,a fight where pereira stated he was not at his best.
“Vengeance is never a good thing,” Pereira said after the fight. “It’s kind of a poison sometimes. I told everyone I was not in a good condition last time. nobody believed it.You saw it.”
Pereira dominated the fight from the opening bell, overwhelming Ankalaev with strikes before securing the finish. Following the win, Pereira revealed he had prepared a post-fight speech, possibly including a callout for his next opponent, but rather chose to honor Arthur Jones, the brother of former champion Jon Jones, who passed away on Friday at age 39.
“I had a whole speech prepared tonight,” Pereira said. “I talked to my team but we got some news recently,something happened,so I want to give my respect to Jon Jones and his whole family and I want to ask everyone here and everyone at home to take a moment of silence for his brother.”
potential future opponents include Jiri Prochazka, who recently scored a knockout win over Khalil Rountree Jr.at UFC 320, though Prochazka has already suffered two losses to Pereira. Carlos Ulberg is another possibility after his rapid win over Dominick Reyes at UFC Perth. Though, Pereira opted against calling out Jon Jones given the recent tragedy.
