The light heavyweight champ wants to stay busy this summer and break the record for fastest two UFC title defenses.
Alex Pereira has responded to Magomed Ankalaev’s callout following the Russian’s nose-crunching win over Johnny Walker at UFC Vegas 84 over the weekend.
Pereira has been teasing a return for weeks now, with many fans hoping he’ll defend the light heavyweight title on UFC 300. But against who? Ankalaev hasn’t lost a fight since 2018 and is now on a 10-fight unbeaten streak. And then there’s former champ Jamahal Hill, who relinquished the title he took off Glover Teixeira after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon.
How about both, back-to-back, in a record turnaround?
“Guys, let’s focus on what matters, which is Jamahal,” Pereira wrote on Instagram. “And then I’ll focus to beat another record in making two title defenses in the shortest possible time.”
Pereira included a video from the Jamahal Hill vs. Glover Teixeira fight, where “Poatan” was serving as a corner to Glover. In the clip, Jamahal walks up to Alex and seems to try and stare the Brazilian fighter down. It’s a short moment shared in slow motion, but it apparently made a big impact on Pereira.
Now the timeline turns to Jamahal Hill and his injury. He suffered the Achilles injury back in July 2023, but according to his manager he may not be ready for UFC 300.
“His goal is to come back in and around that time [of International Fight Week],” Brian Butler told MMA Junkie last week. “But I just don’t know. But I do know he’s working hard. He’s moved to Vegas and he’s staying there to utilize the [UFC Performance Institute] and the services there with the outstanding team there that is helping him recover.”
In the end, it’s up to the UFC to decide what happens next, and when.