Alex Pereira is once again the champion after a ferocious performance seen walking through Magamedo Ankaraev in just 80 seconds in the UFC 320 main event.
It was a spectacular turn from a previous encounter where Pereira struggled to actually launch an attack. Ankarayev ultimately defeated him and won the decision. This time Pereira marches across the cage and decides to launch an attack from a jump as he begins to unload the Russian strike.
A devastating right hand from Pereira slid Ankaraev’s defense into it, causing him to crash into the mountain canvas.
Pereira chases him and follows him to the ground, as he drops a punch and eventually comes straight up and down with a truly devastating 12-for-6 elbow on Ankaraev’s head, forcing the judge Herb Dean to save him from further harm. Back on his feet, Pereira gave a classic celebration saying to me as if I was just watching what I did, and it took him to fight at 1:20 and regained his light heavyweight title.
“Burning up is never a good thing,” Pereira said of his performance. “It’s like poison at times. Last time I told everyone that it wasn’t in good condition. No one believed it. You saw it.
“It didn’t surprise me (the fight was done that way). I don’t like to make excuses, but I wasn’t well that night. I’m fine tonight.”
Given the way the fight unfolds, it’s difficult to discuss Pereira’s evaluation as Ankaraev got nothing before he went to the ground and tried to survive by eating the shot. It was an amazing show as Pereira overwhelmed Ankaraev from the first seconds to the end of the fight.
Pereira revealed that there was in fact a postwar speech (probably a callout for the next battle) after the UFC title went back to his waist and won, but he ultimately decided to use his time in an interview to pay tribute to John Jones’ brother Arthur Jones, who died suddenly on Friday at just 39 years old.
“We’ve prepared all the speeches tonight,” Pereira said. “I spoke to the team and recently got some news. Something happened and I want to pay tribute to John Jones and his whole family. I want to ask everyone here and everyone in the house to take a moment of silence for his brother.”
It was an incredibly classy move from Pereira. Pereira reestablished himself as the most dominant force at 205 pounds, reminding the world that he could take a break before dismantling Ankaraev within two minutes.
Jiri Prochazka has recorded a devastating knockout victory over Khalil Rountree JR at the UFC 320 as long as it is actually something like this for him, but he already has two losses to Pereira. So, while Carlos Ulberg could have quickly beaten Dominic Reyes in UFC Perth, Pereira probably has other ideas in mind that involved Jones, but after the former heavyweight and light heavyweight champions suffered such a tragedy this week, they chose not to make that call out.