Alex Pereira needed 80 seconds to get revenge and stop Magomed Ankalaev to regain the UFC light heavyweight championship this past Saturday in Las Vegas, and it was enough time to suffer damage.
“Poatan” told reporters at the UFC 320 post-fight press conference at the T-Mobile Arena that he limped out of the octagon due to an injury suffered while attacking Ankalaev.
“It’s my foot,” Pereira said. “I’m pretty sure it’s broken.”
Pereira pressured Ankalaev early and attacked his legs before landing a brutal right hand that hurt Ankalaev. The Russian fighter trying getting a hold of “Poatan”, but ended up eating elbows and punches until referee Herb Dean mercifully ended the match.
“I had a really good strategy that I saw that worked for [Jan] Blachowicz [against Ankalaev],” Pereira said. “The inside calf kicks were working. I threw a few of those, and then he switched stances and I think I was in the wrong range. And I threw another kick to his lead leg and it landed on the tip of my foot. I think it’s broken.”
This is not the first time Pereira suffers a fracture in victory, as “Poatan” also broke a toe during his quick knockout victory over Jahamal Hill in April 2024. Despite the injury at UFC 300, he returned on short notice to headline UFC 303 in June opposite Jiri Prochazka.
It’s still unclear the extent of Pereira’s injury, and if it will require surgery, but the light heavyweight champion is targeting a return to action in June 2026, competing on the historic UFC event at the White House.
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