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Brett Okamoto
LAS VEGAS — Alex Pereira said he wasn’t himself in March, when he surrendered the UFC light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev in a five-round decision. Their immediate rematch at UFC 320 on Saturday indicated that was no lie.
Pereira (14-3) reclaimed the 205-pound championship in dominant fashion, finishing Ankalaev (21-2-1) with strikes on the ground just 80 seconds into the opening round.
It was a stunning reversal from what happened seven months ago, when Pereira appeared hesitant in what was his first loss at light heavyweight. On Saturday, he burst out of his corner at the start of the fight and put away Ankalaev while hardly absorbing any strikes. It was the quickest finish of Pereira’s MMA career and the second-quickest title fight in UFC light heavyweight history, behind Vitor Belfort’s 49-second win over Randy Couture in 2004.
It was the first knockout loss of Ankalaev’s career and snapped a 14-fight unbeaten streak.
“Vengeance is never a good thing; it’s kind of a poison sometimes,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “I told everyone I was not in a good condition last time. Everyone saw that tonight.”
During UFC 320 fight week, Pereira’s team told ESPN that he fought Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March with a fractured tibia. He was also sick and had been placed on antibiotics in the weeks leading up to the event. Because of those circumstances, Pereira estimated he was only at 40% of his capacity that night.
He looked very much at 100% Saturday. Pereira asserted himself in the center of the Octagon and walked Ankalaev down with strikes. Pereira hurt him early with a right hand to the chin and eventually finished the bout with elbow strikes from top position. Pereira had a 28-4 edge over Ankalaev in total strikes.
Immediately after the bout, Pereira stood over Ankalaev and made the same taunting gesture he used after knocking out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April 2024. There had been some animosity in the buildup to UFC 320, as Pereira accused Ankalaev of hiding from him during fight week and lying about Pereira not wanting a rematch.
Pereira picked up the 12th knockout of his MMA career, and he became the third two-time light heavyweight champion in UFC history. He shares that distinction with Couture and Jon Jones. In his postfight interview with Joe Rogan inside T-Mobile Arena, Pereira asked for a moment of silence for Jones and his family. Jones’ older brother Arthur, a former Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens, died this week at age 39.
Jones and Pereira have previously expressed interest in fighting each other. Jones announced his retirement earlier this year but has reentered the UFC’s drug testing pool in anticipation of fighting again.
Pereira has plenty of options after reclaiming the title. He could face former champion Jiri Procházka, who knocked out Khalil Rountree Jr. in a “Fight of the Night” performance Saturday. Carlos Ulberg, who knocked out Dominick Reyes at UFC Fight Night last weekend in Perth, Australia, is also an option. Ulberg was in attendance at UFC 320.
He could also move up to heavyweight, where Pereira could face Jones or the winner of a heavyweight title fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi. At his postfight news conference Saturday night, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about that possibility and revealed that Pereira’s team had told him earlier in the day that they were interested in having him fight at heavyweight. White expressed some reluctance, saying the move would be difficult for a fighter who began his UFC career at 185 pounds.
Pereira is already a two-weight champion in the UFC, at light heavyweight and middleweight. There has never been a three-weight champion in UFC history.
“He was a middleweight, and he’s going to jump up two weight classes in the UFC?” White said. “It’s not like jumping up two weight classes in boxing. It’s a big jump. And it’s not that I have any reservations about it. He’s in a division that there’s still some interesting fights.
“I don’t know, I like the guy so much. We’ll see. We’ll have to talk about it.”
Ankalaev, 33, is probably facing a long road to get another shot at a championship. Ankalaev went on a nine-fight winning streak before earning his first title opportunity in 2022, when he fought Jan Blachowicz to a split draw in a performance that was later criticized by White. Ankalaev eventually had to win two more fights in 2024 to earn a crack at Pereira.