Alex Pereira got here out of UFC 320 with the sunshine heavyweight title again round his waist and a recent damage.
Total, it was an important evening in Las Vegas for Pereira as he wanted simply 80 seconds to defeat Magomed Ankalaev by knockout, avenging a loss from UFC 313 this previous March and snatching the championship belt again from his rival. Nonetheless, “Poatan” revealed Friday that he harm his foot in the course of the temporary encounter and followers might have to attend a substantial period of time for his subsequent combat.
“I did an X-Ray in Las Vegas and an MRI right here and we now have a fracture on my foot, however I nonetheless don’t know what is going to occur, or how lengthy it’ll take for me to get better,” Pereira mentioned at a Q&A in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, forward of Saturday’s UFC Rio occasion. “I believe it’s good to give attention to this White Home [date], it’s one thing that pursuits me. I believe I’ll give attention to this.”
The UFC White Home occasion is tentatively set for June 14, not less than in keeping with a current announcement from President Donald Trump (UFC CEO Dana White is but to substantiate the date). Ought to Pereira be out there for that historic card, a variety of choices await him, together with a doable legends matchup with Jon Jones or a transfer as much as heavyweight to face the champion of that division, at the moment Tom Aspinall.
Requested about Jones particularly, Pereira declined to decide to any opponent.
“I don’t know who’s subsequent,” Pereira mentioned. “I’m targeted on this combat.”
Pereira isn’t any stranger to damage speak, with rumors circulating after his earlier loss to Ankalaev that Pereira had handled a virus and a damaged hand in that combat (Pereira didn’t affirm these particular points, however he has publicly alluded to issues affecting his UFC 320 efficiency).
Now, it’s Ankalaev’s crew going to bat for his or her fighter, sharing information that the now-former champion suffered a damaged rib earlier than the rematch. Pereira says he was unaware of any damage to Ankalaev and believes a lot of the injury Ankalaev has suffered lately is from their second combat.
“I can’t know, but when it was already injured, it harm it much more [with the elbows],” Pereira mentioned. “You’ll be able to’t give excuses. I had a thousand excuses to say, however waited to say after we have been about to combat once more. They’re already gifting away [excuses] to possibly take away my deserves, I don’t know.”
After knocking Ankalaev down within the combat, Pereira particularly focused Ankalaev’s midsection with downward elbows en path to the first-round stoppage.
If it wasn’t a part of a selected technique, it was definitely a way Pereira loved using.
“It was an important sensation,” Pereira mentioned. “We prepare arduous for that. We need to be in there and provides our greatest, be the most effective. I landed a clear punch earlier than the elbows and he got here grabbing my legs. There was a gap and my elbow landed clear. Once I landed the primary one and noticed blood, I began hitting and the referee stopped it. However I believe it might have gone slightly longer as a result of I promised to slap his face and I couldn’t do this.”
Guilherme Cruz contributed to this report.
