Alex Pereira said he was probably only “40 per cent” of his normal self the last time he fought Magomed Ankalaev, telling ESPN he was battling through a fractured tibia and then an illness as he was placed on antiobiotics.
“I’m going to be much more this time,” Pereira later warned in an interview with CBS Sports.
“… I’m going to leave no doubt for everybody.”
UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 | SUN 5 OCT 1PM AEDT | Former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will attempt to reclaim the throne against current champion Magomed Ankalaev. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
On Sunday at UFC 320, Poatan proved that wasn’t just an excuse or empty words.
The former two-division champion obliterated Ankalaev in just 85 seconds to reclaim his light heavyweight crown in what Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier called an “unbelievable” performance.
It was unbelievable because it was in such stark contrast to what Pereira dished up the first time the two met.
On that occasion, Pereira looked a shadow of the fearsome monster that took just four fights to win the middleweight title and then two to later claim the light heavyweight championship.
But in Las Vegas, the Pereira of old returned as the Brazilian pressured Ankalaev immediately and landed a brutal right hand that had the now former champion scrambling.
A panicked Ankalaev shot for the takedown but instead found himself on the wrong end of savage elbows from Pereira, with referee Herb Dean later forced to step in and end the fight.
“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.”
As for what is next for the champion, Ankalaev was so decisively beaten by Pereira that it is hard to see the UFC gunning for a trilogy between the two.
Plus, the light heavyweight division’s other two top contenders — Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg — both scored dominant knockout wins in the past fortnight to stamp their claim for the next shot.
Pereira has already fought and defeated Prochazka twice though, which could work in Ulberg’s favour after the Kiwi finished Dominick Reyes last Sunday in Perth.
Alternatively, if Tom Aspinall beats Ciryl Gane the UFC could look to set up a super fight with Pereira given the Brazilian said earlier this month he wasn’t sure “how long” he could keep cutting to 205 pounds.
Merab Cracks Corey in dominant defence | 00:41
‘FREAK’: CHAMP MAKES HISTORY IN LATEST TITLE DEFENCE
Merab Dvalishvili’s dominance in the bantamweight division continued in the co-main event, with the champion suffocating a frustrated Cory Sandhagen in a unanimous decision victory to defend his crown.
The victory, which was Dvalishvili’s 14th in a row, saw the bantamweight king make UFC history with 20 successful takedowns from 37 attempts — the most in a title fight.
Joe Rogan called Dvalishvili a “freak” in commentary while the champion himself even admitted he continues to surprise himself.
“Yes Joe, I am a machine. I keep getting better… I train hard,” Dvalishvili said after the fight.
Sandhagen did everything he could, even winning the first round as he pressured Dvalishvili and landing 27 significant strikes to 11 from Dvalishvili.
He also restricted the champion to just one successful takedown from four attempts.
But that flipped in the second round as Dvalishvili outpointed Sandhagen 33 to two on significant strikes, while he took the American down eight times and looked on the verge of finishing the fight early.
Sandhagen, to his credit, was able to hang in until the very end but stood little chance — even as he landed a few nice shots to close out the fight — with Dvalishvili repeatedly taking him to the ground to claim what was in the end a relatively comfortable win.
Jiri Drops Rountree in Brutal 3rd round! | 00:42
‘HOLY S***’: TITLE CONTENDER’S CRAZY COMEBACK KO STUNS
Earlier, light heavyweight contenders Jiri Prochazka made a statement on the main card with a devastating knockout win over Khalil Rountree Jr.
The American looked to be cruising to a comfortable unanimous decision win after outclassing the unorthodox Prochazka with his slick striking in the first two rounds.
But Prochazka, who thrives in the chaos like few other fighters, came at Rountree Jr. with the momentum of a freight train in the third round and forced the American into wild exchanges.
Suddenly, Rountree Jr. was barely hanging on as Prochazka continued pressing forward and while he looked like he was hanging on after using the clinch to recover, a quick three-punch combination had him stumbling with a left hook sending Prochazka crashing to the ground.
Pyfer seals it with relentless choke! | 00:32
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