CHAMA! | ALEX PEREIRA COLDEST WALKOUT AT THE WHITE HOUSE

 

ALUCE PEREIRA DELIVERS KNOCKOUT OF YEAR CONTENDER AT UFC VEGAS 115

UFC Vegas 115 was another night filled with that trope that a card that seems weak on paper and is filled with a lot of unknown names can be more entertaining than some of the bigger cards the UFC puts on. From Renato Moicano’s submission win over Chris Duncan, to any of the other exciting finishes on the night, to a seemingly soccer-kick KO (that wasn’t a KO), which generated a lot of controversy, UFC Vegas 115 was a fire card.

And yet, one of the bigger highlights from the night came from the undercard. And for the second straight week, a fight on a UFC card has produced a Knockout of the Year contender. Last week, it was Alexa Grasso sending Maycee Barber into oblivion. This week, it was the strength of the hard-hitting Alice Pereira.

First of all, no, Alice Pereira is not related to Alex Pereira. But when you look at what Alice Pereira did on this night, it might be hard for some fans not to draw a connection between the two.

During the UFC Vegas 115 prelims, Alice Pereira squared off with Hailey Cowan. The first round proved well for Pereira, known as “Golden Girl.” Pereira was able to beat her opponent to the (literal) punch, using her quickness and power to batter Cowan during the opening five minutes. Cowan, in fact, was visibly bruised around her face as a result of that frame.

But Cowan is a tough fighter who was not to be deterred. In the second round, Cowan landed a major slam in the center of the Octagon, and it appeared that she was in control of the action. Cowan was unable to do much with her ground game, however, and she didn’t seem to put up much of a fight as Pereira got the action back to the feet.

And then, just as round two was coming to an end, Pereira unleashed a devastating knee that landed directly on Cowan’s face. Cowan dropped in a heap, and the referee quickly stepped in to wave off the fight.

It was definitely a needed performance from Pereira. She dropped her UFC debut to Montse Rendon at Noche UFC 3 in September, a performance that Pereira has openly admitted she’d like to move on from. Well, here, move on is what she did.

Pereira displayed the power that got her attention from the UFC in the first place. And the thing is, even though her name is “Golden Girl,” she isn’t an elderly woman from the classic TV show. Pereira is just 20 years old.

- TOM ALBANO

ALEX PEREIRA RESPONDS TO KHAMZAT CHIMAEV'S SHOCK CALLOUT FOLLOWING UFC 320 TITLE WIN

With Alex Pereira back at the top of the light heavyweight heap, there are plenty of fighters that would like to fight the legendary Brazilian.

This past Saturday, the premier promotion returned to Las Vegas for UFC 320, headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira.

After such a disappointing performance against the Russian earlier this year, Pereira made the correct adjustments and went on to knock Ankalaev out in the first round to reclaim his title.

And having reclaimed his light heavyweight title, ‘Poatan’ will now have several fighters waiting in line to fight him next, with him once again being one of the biggest stars in the sport.

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Pereira responds to shock callout from Khamzat Chimaev

Almost immediately after Pereira’s title winning performance, he was congratulated by the UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev, but as part of his congratulations message, ‘Borz’ told Pereira it is time for them to settle their unfinished business.

Rumors have previously circulated that Pereira and Chimaev have been linked to fight each other and the rivalry seemed to hot up when Chimaev trolled Pereira over his knockout loss to Israel Adesanya.

The Brazilian even went on to propose a bet that he wouldn’t be taken down by Chimaev which led to even more excitement for a potential clash between the two.

However, following Chimaev’s shock callout, Pereira issued a response, stating that he is not interested in fighting the Chechen.

“Thanks for congratulating me but all I want is a super fight, I wanna fight at heavyweight but all I can say is thank you,” Pereira said.

Following his win, the 38-year-old revealed that he had a long callout for Jon Jones planned, but following the tragic death of Jones’ brother, Arthur Jones, the Brazilian decided to pay his respects to the family with a moment of silence.

Dana White hesitant to allow Pereira to move up to heavyweight

If Pereira does eventually move up to heavyweight and somehow claims a title at the weight class, he would become the first fighter in history to win a title in three separate weight divisions.

Despite that, UFC boss Dana White is hesitant to allow Pereira to move up in weight as there are several contenders at light heavyweight that are deserving of a title shot.

Carlos Ulberg recently picked up his ninth win in a row, and before UFC 320, both Pereira and Ankalaev highlighted him as the likely next contender.

- Jamie Theodosi

ALEX PEREIRA THREATENS DANA WHITE WITH UFC RETIREMENT FOLLOWING ROCKY CONVERSATIONS WITH PROMOTIONS

Alex Pereira has shockingly revealed that he is considering leaving MMA for good.

Pereira hasn't fought since dropping his light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March.

He suffered a unanimous decision defeat to the Russian in the main event of the Las Vegas card, but it seemed like both men were destined to rematch as soon as possible due to their reactions in the aftermath of the card.

However, in a shocking turn of events, Brazilian superstar Pereira has threatened UFC CEO Dana White by saying that he has considered 'not fighting anymore' in what would be a huge blow to the promotion.

"I always answered the UFC’s calls," he wrote on X.

"But if they want to play with me, we can do that. I’ve never spoken poorly of the UFC but with what I’ve just heard I’m disheartened.

"I’ve already had thoHe finished 2024 having defended the heavyweight title three times, knocking out fighters including Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill.

However, his defeat at UFC 313 left him in a position of needing to beat Ankalaev in a rematch to pursue a future in the heavyweight division.ughts of not fighting anymore, and after what was just relayed to me this may be the start."

The 37-year-old was undefeated at light heavyweight before locking horns with Ankalaev.

The loss meant his hopes of a future blockbuster with Jon Jones had come to an abrupt end after months of teasing a move to the heavyweight division.

‘Poatan’ had bounced back from losing the UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya to go on a tear at 205lbs.

He finished 2024 having defended the heavyweight title three times, knocking out fighters including Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill.

However, his defeat at UFC 313 left him in a position of needing to beat Ankalaev in a rematch to pursue a future in the heavyweight division.

Speaking after the Las Vegas card, UFC CEO White said Pereira will ‘probably’ get an immediate rematch.

Pereira, meanwhile, talked up the rematch in his post-fight reaction on social media.

“[I’m] gonna rest a bit. I’ll be back like I've always done. This has already happened, but I’m good," he said.

“I’m grateful for all your support, for all your love [and] always supporting me.

“I’m receiving so many messages of great encouragement. I’m here with my people: my family, my team, my children.

“Everyone’s here. Everyone’s here with me. I’m gonna have some pizza. That’s that, life continues.

“[I’m] gonna make some adjustments for the rematch and I’ll be back much better. You can count on it.

“All good everyone. Never give up on your dreams. Chama.”

But for now, it seems like Pereira is extremely frustrated at not getting an imminent rematch.

Should the Brazilian follow through on his threat to quit the UFC, there would be no shortage of suitors wanting to have him fight on their respective promotion.

However, he could take a completely alternative route to continue his combat career.

Ahead of his defeat to Ankalaev at UFC 313, Pereira was asked about who he would like to face next had he got past the Russian.

Pereira name-dropped UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and Jones but added another staggering name to his potential hit-list in the form of unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

“Those I see possibly happening, it doesn't depend on me it depends on the UFC, so whatever the UFC want me to do I will do it," Pereira added.

Usyk, 38, holds the IBO, WBC and WBO world heavyweight titles and will look to re-add the IBF world heavyweight crown to his collection when he takes on Daniel Dubois at Wembley on July 19.

But after they contest the rematch, Usyk could look to take on a money-spinning exhibition bout against Pereira.

There may be merit to the idea given UFC president White has joined forces with Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh to spearhead a new boxing venture.

When asked for his response to the news of White dipping his toes into the boxing world, Pereira expressed his excitement and even dropped a hint about where and when his dream bout against Usyk would happen.

"Absolutely, I was hyped," Pereira said.

“I was happy when I heard the news. Who knows, September, Saudi Arabia.”

- Lewis Thompson

OLEKSANDR USYK EYEING CROSSOVER FIGHT WITH UFC CHAMPION ALEX PEREIRA: 'WHY NOT'?

World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk says he only has a couple of fights left before he hangs up the gloves for good, and he wants one of them to be against a reigning UFC champion.

With a resume that has seen him become undisputed champion of the world at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, Usyk is now plotting the endgame for his boxing career, and sees a crossover fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira as a fun fight to have before he calls time on his legendary career.

Usyk was doing the media rounds this week and sat down on the London Eye in England to chat with both ESPN and TNT Sports Boxing, with his interview with the latter seeing him drop the huge news that he'd like to face Pereira.

The Ukrainian superstar was asked who he wanted his final two fights to be against, and the unified heavyweight champion immediately referenced the upcoming IBF heavyweight title bout between champion Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker, which takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 22.

But then he mentioned a "show fight" with Pereira as he revealed his interest, as well as "Poatan's".

"First is who wins the next fight on 22 February," Usyk.

"Next, maybe a 'show fight' with Alex Pereira. Maybe. Why not? Alex wants to."

A bout between Usyk and Pereira would offer little in the way of size discrepancy, with Pereira cutting weight to make 205 pounds for his light heavyweight title fights in the UFC.

Usyk, who weighed in at 226 pounds for his last fight with Tyson Fury, would also concede one inch in height and one inch in reach to the Brazilian striker.

A crossover fight would give Pereira the chance to test his skills in a third sport. The Brazilian captured kickboxing world titles at middleweight and light heavyweight with GLORY Kickboxing, then switched to MMA and won UFC championships at middleweight and light heavyweight to become a two-sport, two-division world champion.

While a matchup with Usyk would likely be either an exhibition bout or a regular, non-title bout, it would offer the opportunity for Pereira to test his boxing against a future Hall of Famer who has captured undisputed gold in boxing's two heaviest weight classes.

Remarkably, and somewhat strangely, Usyk's comment about a possible fight with Pereira didn't draw a follow-up from the interviewer, who continued the interview by asking about a possible fight with Dubois.

"I think it's a bad idea to make (a rematch with) Daniel, because Daniel has a future fight," Usyk said.

"He says, 'Hey, listen! I want a rematch!' Please, make work on February 22. If you win, (you're) welcome."

Usyk also suggested that, despite Tyson Fury's recent retirement, "The Gypsy King" might not be done with boxing just yet.

"I think no, because Tyson's a great man, a showman," said Usyk.

"Maybe, but I think Tyson, a little bit [of] rest with his family, drink beer, and back in the ring. I think."

- Simon Head, Newsweek

DANA WHITE: CONOR MCGREGOR- MICHAEL CHANDLER 300 UFC FIGHT OFF

McGregor and Chandler will face off June 29. [+]
ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGES

 Conor McGregor will no longer fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White said Thursday night.

McGregor (22-6) was scheduled to headline the event but has withdrawn because of injury. It's the first time in McGregor's storied UFC career he's pulled out of a fight for any reason.

The new main event is a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka, according to White.

White also announced two more new fights to the card: Diego Lopes will face Brian Ortega in the co-main event and Carlos Ulberg will now fight Anthony Smith in a light heavyweight bout after Jamahal Hill, who was slated to fight in the co-main event, is out due to injury.

According to White, the sellout event was on pace to set a record for the UFC, with a live gate of more than $20 million. The UFC has not announced whether the nontitle welterweight bout between McGregor and Chandler will be rescheduled.

McGregor, 35, was set to return to competition for the first time since he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. The former featherweight and lightweight champion has only fought four times since a blockbuster boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017.

McGregor is 1-3 in those appearances, with two losses to Poirier and a submission defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a 2018 title fight.

The June fight being called off is a disappointing chapter in what's become something of a saga between McGregor and Chandler. Chandler, a former champion in Bellator MMA, first called out McGregor in earnest in 2022. The UFC announced the two would coach against each other on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series in early 2023, which went ahead as scheduled that spring. A fight date did not come together until early this year, however, for various reasons.

The UFC's former drug testing partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), claimed McGregor's situation led to the dissolution of its UFC program, as the promotion wanted to grant McGregor an exemption of a six-month testing requirement following his leg injury. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell denied that assertion and demanded a public apology.

The UFC has since partnered with several other agencies to run its drug program.

McGregor, of Ireland, promised via a tweet that his return to the Octagon this year would be the start of the "Greatest Comeback in Sports History." The UFC scheduled a public news conference with McGregor and Chandler on June 3 at 3Arena in Dublin, but canceled the event just 12 hours before doors were to open, which prompted speculation on the status of the fight.

Chandler, 38, has not fought since a back-and-forth loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022. He has only expressed a passing interest in potential bouts against Nate Diaz, who is currently not signed to the UFC, or BMF titleholder Max Holloway.

- Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer

ISRAEL ADESANYA ON ALEX PEREIRA

 

ALEX PEREIRA VS. ISRAEL ADESANYA

ALEX PEREIRA WANTS ADESANYA TO STOP TALKING

 

UFC 281 | ISRAEL ADESANYA VS. ALEX PEREIRA | THE NUMBERS

 

A CHAMP HAS FALLEN | ISRAEL ADESANYA

RETHINKING ISRAEL ADESANYA VS. ALEX PEREIRA