The UFC has a low-key star on its hands in UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who defends his title against former UFC 205-pound champion Jiri Prochazka in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 303 fight card.
The UFC had not initially booked either Pereira or Prochazka to compete at UFC 303. However, when Conor McGregor broke his toe and his bout opposite Michael Chandler was canceled, the UFC needed a new main event on short notice. How short? The official announcement that McGregor was out went down late on June 13. UFC 303 takes place on Saturday, June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
The process of getting Pereira to sign on the line which is dotted for UFC 303 went down as detailed below on the day the UFC officially canceled McGregor vs. Chandler.
Pereira, who was in Australia, held up his phone to a camera that was recording in the car he and his team were riding in. Recognizing the name and number of the caller, the UFC light heavyweight kingpin answers the phone with a smile. Pereira listens to what the caller has to say and then without hesitation, says “let’s do it.”After a short conversation and some laughs from the normally stoic fighter, Pereira disconnects from the call. He then informs the men in the car that he has agreed to fight at UFC 303, a fight card scheduled for June 29, less than two weeks from the day of the call. Knowing that Pereira is not a man prone to jokes, they take the news in stride and start planning for the fight in Las Vegas.
With that, Alex Pereira, a man who has, for lack of a better term, saved the UFC on two previous occasions, is doing so again, stepping in on short notice to fight on a card that had once had the biggest name in MMA tied to it.
Pereira didn’t need to say yes. He could have waited to put his title on the line with a full camp behind him. Instead, he said yes to UFC 303, showing the willingness to put his name and his title up for grabs on short notice.
Alex Pereira Saves The Day At UFC 295 And UFC 300
Pereira’s willingness to step up when needed has paid off for him and the UFC.
When the UFC 295 heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic fell apart, Pereira, who a few months before had defeated former UFC light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz, stepped in to take on Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight crown. Pereira won that November 2023 scrap via TKO in the second round.
Then, with UFC 300 needing a main event, Pereira agreed to face former champion Jamahal Hill on that historic card. Pereira easily defended his title, knocking Hill out in the first round.
With that history, one can imagine the UFC was confident Pereira would once again answer the call for the promotion when they needed him.
Alex Pereira’s UFC Career Is A Wonder
Pereira joined the UFC with four MMA fights to his name. Yes, he was a two-division Glory Kickboxing champion, but those credentials don’t always translate to immediate success in mixed martial arts. They did for Pereira.
After he defeated Sean Strickland by knockout in his third UFC fight, the UFC booked him against a man he had beaten twice under the Glory banner. That man was then-UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Pereira became the promotion’s middleweight champion with a late knockout win over Adesanya at UFC 281 in November 2022.
Adesanya regained his title via knockout in a rematch in April 2023. Pereira took the loss in stride, saying, “I already left other teams and families sad like my sons are right now, all of the team. But that’s it. It was like one day I said to my father when I lost in 2012. After my first loss as a professional fighter, my father got sick. So I said to him, ‘Father, how many times have I left other families and teams sad, and we were laughing? Now is our time to rethink.’ So, dude, I’m okay with it right now.” He then moved up to light heavyweight and defeated Blachowicz in July 2023.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
One of the most noteworthy aspects of Pereira’s stardom is that he has reached the top of the game without bluster and histrionics. He’s not a fighter who brings a spotlight with him. Instead, he wills the klieg lights to find him because of his actions inside the cage. Pereira won’t tell anyone how important he is, but fans will recognize his greatness when they see him compete. His is not a fragile ego hiding behind bluster and a retinue of sycophantic toadies. There are no sadly staged videos on a rented boat where Pereira runs through scripted lines with a bevy of hired swimsuit models by his side. No, there’s only a man and a list of accomplishments that would make almost any other combat sports athlete jealous.
Pereira doesn’t seem like someone who craves praise, but he deserves it from the fans and the UFC.
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