Alex Pereira has claimed the UFC's vacant light heavyweight title after defeating Jiri Procházka at the main event of UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Pereira's triumph came with a technical knockout in the second round. The Brazilian fighter is now the ninth fighter in UFC history to have held titles in two divisions. Earlier this year, he secured the middleweight title with a knockout over Israel Adesanya in November 2022. In their next bout in April 2023, Pereira lost the belt to the Nigerian-born New Zealander.
With three consecutive victories at Madison Square Garden, Pereira stands as the only fighter to headline back-to-back UFC events at the iconic venue. UFC CEO Dana White was impressed with Pereira's achievement.
"I don't know about an all-time great . But it's incredibly impressive what he's done in a short amount of time," White said in the post-fight news conference.
Pereira's victory brings some stability to the light heavyweight division. As the division's undisputed king, Jon Jones voluntarily surrendered the belt to pursue challenges at heavyweight.
Meanwhile, Procházka vacated the title in late 2022 due to a severe shoulder injury. Jamahal Hill briefly held the title after defeating Glover Teixeira in January. His reign was cut short when an Achilles tendon injury forced him to step down.
Pereira has now captured two titles in only seven fights in the UFC. For Procházka, however, the loss is his first in the championship.
Dominant yet controversial victory
Pereira relied on his trademark leg kicks and punching power throughout the fight, which proved to be the key to his victory. In the first round, he controlled the distance, preventing Procházka from establishing his offensive rhythm and leaving him no chance to recover.
In the second round, Pereira's dominance over Procházka began with a left hook that sent him crashing against the cage. Despite being stunned at the attack, the Czech Republic native defended himself by attempting a takedown.
As Procházka lunged for a leg, Pereira landed an onslaught of punches and elbows that caused Procházka to stumble backward. Before Pereira could unleash further strikes, referee Marc Goddard stepped in to halt the fight. A portion of the crowd expressed their disapproval, deeming it premature.
"I'm not surprised after the first left hook," Pereira explained during his post-fight interview. "He fell onto my legs, and I went for the finish. I don't believe it was a premature stoppage."
Procházka, who held a 13-fight winning streak, accepted defeat. He agreed with the stoppage, saying, “I think it was the right call. I was out. But you know, I'll never give up.”
Pereira targets Adesanya next
Following the victory, "Poatan" called for another rematch with Adesanya, inviting "The Last Stylebender" to move up to light heavyweight. Pereira holds a 3-1 record against Adesanya, including two victories in kickboxing.
Adesanya, who lost his middleweight belt to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Australia, said last month that he would take a long break from fighting.
"He doesn't seem motivated, and I think it's a fight everyone would like to see," Pereira said of Adesanya.
