Alex Pereira solidified his status as the hardest puncher in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a brutal left hook knockout of Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill in the main event of UFC 300. Now, fight fans are wondering who is next for the Brazilian star as he now has victories over 3 fighters ranked in the top 5 of the division.
Alex Pereira’s last three victories were against Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka, and Jamahal Hall—all three being former champions in the division. They are ranked 4th, 1st, 2nd respectively in the division. Therefore, the most deserving fighter to challenge Pereira is 3rd ranked Magomed Ankalaev.
Ankalaev had already called out Pereira after his knockout victory over Johnny Walker at UFC Vegas 84. Interestingly, Pereira had also expressed interest in fighting Ankalaev at UFC 301 after UFC 300. The UFC presently has a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg as the main event, but it could change.
However, Pereira has now set his sights on the heavyweight division, possibly against Tom Aspinall for the interim light heavyweight title. Dana White does not like the idea of Pereira moving up, per MMAMania. So, Ankalaev is likely the next opponent for Alex “Poatan” Pereira.
Alex Pereira defends light heavyweight title at UFC 300
Alex Pereira did not even have to break a sweat in the main event of UFC 300 as he finished Jamahal Hill in the very first round of the bout. After a shovel left hook that dropped Hill to the canvas, the follow-up left-handed hammer fists forced referee Herb Deen to call a halt to the fight.
Despite a groin kick from Hill just moments before the finish, Pereira shrugged off the discomfort, declining the referee’s assistance. Adding insult to injury, Pereira humorously mimicked the popular Khaby Lame meme multiple times after his knockout victory. To cap off his triumphant night, Pereira was awarded his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Unfortunately, the brutal knockout finish did not bag him a $300K bonus as Max Holloway and Jiri Prochazka had impressive knockout finishes. Prochazka TKOed 5th-ranked Aleksandar Rakic and called for a title shot but that is far-fetched considering his recent knockout loss to Pereira.
Who do you think is next for Alex Pereira? Leave your thoughts below!
