Manager explains why Alex Pereira won’t make fighting return at UFC 301: ‘He has to go and let the dust settle’

Manager reveals why Alex Pereira won't fight at UFC 301 He has to let the dust settleUFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira won’t be fighting in Brazil at UFC 301 after all. Pereira scored a…

Manager reveals why Alex Pereira won't fight at UFC 301 He has to let the dust settle

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira won’t be fighting in Brazil at UFC 301 after all.

Pereira scored a first-round knockout win over Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC 300. With Pereira not taking much damage, he called to fight in a few weeks at UFC 301. However, Pereira’s manager, Jorge Guimarães spoke on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast and explained why he won’t be fighting on the card.

“That won’t happen, no way, especially now that he has another broken toe,” Guimarães said of Pereira fighting on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro. “He has to go to the shipyard and let the dust settle and celebrate the victory. Maybe [go to Brazil] to watch the event, but no fights for him.”

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Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Alex Pereira not fighting at UFC 301 is a bit disappointing for fans, but due to the broken toe, he will be taking time off and making sure he’s healthy for his next title defense.

Manager Doesn’t Think Alex Pereira – Tom Aspinall fight is next

Since Alex Pereira became the light heavyweight champion, he has hinted at a future move to heavyweight.

Tom Aspinall has shown some interest in facing Alex Pereira in the future, but the Brazilian’s manager doesn’t think the fight makes sense for Aspinall.

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Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

“I don’t think [fighting Pereira] is a good idea for Aspinall at this moment,” Guimarães said. “We have to see what’s going to happen. I think it’s still too premature. Aspinall is the interim champion, why would he risk fighting ‘Poatan’? I don’t think it makes much sense [for Aspinall], I don’t think it’s a good idea [for Aspinall]. For us, it is [a good idea].”

Ultimately, the plan for Pereira is to defend his light heavyweight title next, but his manager isn’t ruling out a fight at heavyweight in the future.

Alex Pereira at heavyweight? Not now, thanks
Mandatory Credit: Carmen Mandato

“He has the desire, and I’ll tell you this, he’s going to do an incredible job at heavyweight,” Guimarães said. “He’s a super tough fight for anyone in the heavyweight division as well. He’s hungry to fight. He says his time is running out, and he wants to achieve the most he can. He’s extremely confident, and I think he would shine at heavyweight. Let’s see what the UFC has on the table for us, but he won’t be fighting in Rio de Janeiro.”

Report – Alex Pereira ‘Unlikely’ to fight at UFC 301 next month after suffering second broken toe against Jamahal Hill

Alex Pereira unlikely to fight at UFC 301 next month after suffering second broken toe against Jamahal HillOff the back of his stunning first round knockout win over Jamahal Hill over the course of the weekend…

Alex Pereira unlikely to fight at UFC 301 next month after suffering second broken toe against Jamahal Hill

Off the back of his stunning first round knockout win over Jamahal Hill over the course of the weekend at UFC 300, undisputed light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira is “extremely unlikely” to be able to follow through with plans to fight at UFC 301 in three weeks time – after suffering a second broken foe over the weekend.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion, and the incumbent light heavyweight gold holder, headlined UFC 300 over the course of the weekend against the returning previously mentioned, Hill.

Alex Pereira retains title finishes Jamahal Hill with hellacious first round KO UFC 300 Highlights
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa lLC

Dispatching the Illinois native with relative ease in the opening round, Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira struck the ex-champion with a huge left shovel hook after a brief attempted stoppage in the action from Herb Dean, before forcing the issue with a series of heavy ground strikes.

Initially, Pereira sported his interest in making a quickfire return in just three weeks time on home soil in his native Brazil, in the form of a short-notice clash at UFC 301 – after entertaining a heavyweight rise

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Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

However, UFC CEO, Dana White confirmed how Pereira had suffered a fractured toe just days ahead of his fight with Hill at UFC 300, and questioned if a heavyweight climb would be the smartest choice from the former GLORY Kickboxing star.

Alex Pereira expected to miss UFC 301 homecoming

And according to a report from Ariel Helwani overnight, Pereira is “extremely unlikely” to fight at UFC 301 next month, after suffering a second fractured toe against Hill at UFC 300.

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Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

“Extremely unlikely Alex Pereira fights in Rio next month, I’m told,” Helwani posted on his official X account. “As revealed after the 300 main event, he broke his toe in the days leading up to the fight, and he suffered a second broken toe during the fight, too.” 

Receiving an immediate call out off the back of his quickfire victory against Hill, Pereira was offered a massive comeback at UFC 308 in October by surging Russian contender, Magomed Ankalaev in Abu Dhabi – who vowed to score a first round knockout win over the Brazilian in a long-anticipated pairing. 

Who do you want to see Alex Pereira fight next after his UFC 300 win?

Report – Alex Pereira ‘Unlikely’ to fight at UFC 301 next month after suffering second broken toe against Jamahal Hill

Alex Pereira unlikely to fight at UFC 301 next month after suffering second broken toe against Jamahal HillOff the back of his stunning first round knockout win over Jamahal Hill over the course of the weekend…

Alex Pereira unlikely to fight at UFC 301 next month after suffering second broken toe against Jamahal Hill

Off the back of his stunning first round knockout win over Jamahal Hill over the course of the weekend at UFC 300, undisputed light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira is “extremely unlikely” to be able to follow through with plans to fight at UFC 301 in three weeks time – after suffering a second broken foe over the weekend.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion, and the incumbent light heavyweight gold holder, headlined UFC 300 over the course of the weekend against the returning previously mentioned, Hill.

Alex Pereira retains title finishes Jamahal Hill with hellacious first round KO UFC 300 Highlights
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa lLC

Dispatching the Illinois native with relative ease in the opening round, Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira struck the ex-champion with a huge left shovel hook after a brief attempted stoppage in the action from Herb Dean, before forcing the issue with a series of heavy ground strikes.

Initially, Pereira sported his interest in making a quickfire return in just three weeks time on home soil in his native Brazil, in the form of a short-notice clash at UFC 301 – after entertaining a heavyweight rise

Alex Pereira UFC 300 Zuffa LLC 4
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

However, UFC CEO, Dana White confirmed how Pereira had suffered a fractured toe just days ahead of his fight with Hill at UFC 300, and questioned if a heavyweight climb would be the smartest choice from the former GLORY Kickboxing star.

Alex Pereira expected to miss UFC 301 homecoming

And according to a report from Ariel Helwani overnight, Pereira is “extremely unlikely” to fight at UFC 301 next month, after suffering a second fractured toe against Hill at UFC 300.

Alex Pereira UFC 300 Zuffa LLC 3
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

“Extremely unlikely Alex Pereira fights in Rio next month, I’m told,” Helwani posted on his official X account. “As revealed after the 300 main event, he broke his toe in the days leading up to the fight, and he suffered a second broken toe during the fight, too.” 

Receiving an immediate call out off the back of his quickfire victory against Hill, Pereira was offered a massive comeback at UFC 308 in October by surging Russian contender, Magomed Ankalaev in Abu Dhabi – who vowed to score a first round knockout win over the Brazilian in a long-anticipated pairing. 

Who do you want to see Alex Pereira fight next after his UFC 300 win?

Vinc Pichel issues dire warning to Ismael Bonfim ahead of UFC 301: ‘I’m going to start stabbing people’

MixCollage 15 Apr 2024 04 15 PM 8342On May 4, Vinc Pichel is showing up in Rio ready to throw hands whether his opponent misses weight…

MixCollage 15 Apr 2024 04 15 PM 8342

On May 4, Vinc Pichel is showing up in Rio ready to throw hands whether his opponent misses weight again or not.

After their UFC Sao Paulo scrap fell apart on the scale, the promotion rebooked the bout between Pichel and Ismael Bonfim that was originally scheduled to go down last November. Bonfim stepped on the scale three-and-a-half pounds over the lightweight limit for their initial booking, resulting in the cancelation of their fight.

Speaking with Hyon Ko of The Allstar, Pichel offered some insight into Bonfim’s massive weight miss and his decision to turn down the fight.

“When I went to weigh in, him and his little sh*thead friends were sitting at the door, eating, like they were doing it on purpose,” Pichel said. “So this is in my next now. First of all, I don’t trust f*cking USADA testing Brazilians because they’re a third-world country and let’s just leave it at that. I know most likely he’s using IV bags. He’s in his home town and now he’s trying to cheat in my eyes by not making weight.

“A pound or two is acceptable. That’s understandable. You tried. That motherf*cker missed weight by five pounds. You’re blatantly trying not to make weight. That’s on purpose to me.”

Vinc Pichel

Though he would have walked away with 30% of his opponent’s purse, Pichel ultimately decided to decline the fight, depriving Bonfim of collecting any kind of a paycheck. Unfortunately, the decision also left Pichel in a bit of a financial bind.

“That happens and we say, ‘Okay, f*ck that. We’re not taking the fight.’ I got up to Bonfim and I’m like ‘F*ck you. You f*cked up. You’re not fighting now you piece of sh*t, so go f*ck yourself.’ We do that and I walk away and leave,” Pichel said. “I didn’t get paid for a week or two. Eventually, they gave me the money, but they took my expenses out of the money so I got even less. That money was barely enough to get me by until right now. If I didn’t have this fight with Bonfim on May 4, I was going to go get a job because I can’t pay my bills.”

Vinc Pichel

Vinc Pichel’s feels the UFC punished Him for not accepting the fight

Vinc Pichel hoped that the fight would be rescheduled for another fight card a few weeks down the line. When the promotion decided to put Bonfim on the back burner for a bit, the Lancaster, Cali native sought another potential opponent. When that didn’t happen, Pichel felt like he was being disciplined despite being the one to show up and make weight.

“Am I being punished too because I said no to that fight? Because if so, then f*ck them,” Pichell continued. “I love the UFC and they’ve really helped me a lot and changed my life, but if they’re going to be like, ‘I’m helping you so I can treat you like sh*t,’ then they can suck my d*ck. I don’t give a f*ck about anybody in that matter.”

Vinc Pichel

With the Bonfim fight now rescheduled for UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Pichel warned that there would be dire consequences for ‘Marreta’ if he doesn’t show up on weight and ready to go.

“I’ve told my manager if he doesn’t make weight this time, I’m kicking his ass in the hotel and they (UFC) can cut me and I don’t care,” Pichel said. “F*ck the UFC at that point. I’m walking away at that point and his friends aren’t going to stop me, I’m going to f*ck them up too, I’m going to start stabbing people, and you might not see me again. I’m going to f*ck people up.”

For Vinc Pichell, it will be his first time competing inside the Octagon since an April 2022 loss to Mark Madsen. Overall, Pichell is 14-3 in his mixed martial arts career, and 7-3 under the UFC banner. Before his loss to Madsen, ‘From Hell’ had won three straight, besting Roosevelt Roberts, Jim Miller, and Austin Hubbard.

“Long story short here we are again hopefully this bum makes weight,” Pichel concluded.

Exclusive – Steve Erceg reveals how his unlikely title fight with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 came together

Exclusive - Steve Erceg reveals how his unlikely title fight with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 came togetherJust three fights into his career in the Octagon, Australian standout Steve Erceg has already teed up his first…

Exclusive - Steve Erceg reveals how his unlikely title fight with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 came together

Just three fights into his career in the Octagon, Australian standout Steve Erceg has already teed up his first shot at UFC gold.

On Saturday, May 4, ‘AstroBoy’ will headline UFC 301 when the promotion returns to Rio de Janeiro. There, Erceg will challenge reigning and defending flyweight world champion Alexandre Pantoja in a fight that nobody saw coming — at least not this soon.

Steve Erceg vs. Alexandre Pantoja

Speaking with Andrew Whitelaw in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Erceg offered some details on how the unlikely title tilt came together, revealing along the way that he was essentially in the right place at the right time.

“I expected there’d be quite a few more people ahead of me that would get a shot,” Erceg said. “The way it came together was that all the guys ahead of me except for [Muhammad] Mokaev were injured, had already fought, missed weight, and all that stuff. So it really came down to who performed better at the Vegas show. I finished Matt Schnell and Mokaev had a tough outing [against Alex Perez] so they gave me the opportunity.”

Competing on a Fight Night card in March, Erceg delivered a destructive second-round knockout of Schnell while Mokaev put together a lackluster showing against Perez. That’s all the UFC needed to know who the next man up at flyweight should be.

Steve Erceg KOs Schnell

That and Brandon Royval’s stunning short-notice win over Brandon Moreno a month earlier.

Steve Erceg excited to fight Pantoja on his home turf

Steve Erceg knows a thing or two about winning titles, having captured the Eternal MMA flyweight championship in March 2020. Of course, ‘AstroBoy’ recognizes that there is a big difference between winning a title on the regional scene versus bagging one on MMA’s biggest stage.

“I know I can rise to the occasion, but obviously winning a world title in the UFC is a very different thing,” Erceg said. “It’ll be the culmination of all my hard work. The other titles are cool and all, but they mean a lot less than this one.”

Steve Erceg wins Eternal MMA title

Erceg will certainly have his work cut out for him in his first UFC main event. Not only is he taking on the best flyweight fighter on the planet, but he’ll be doing so in enemy territory.

“I’m excited for it,” Erceg said when asked about fighting Pantoja on his home turf. “I know the crowd is going to be very loud. Not for me. They’re going to be booing me, obviously, but I’ve had some hostile crowds before. Nothing to the level of this, but I love it. I’m gonna relish the opportunity and I can’t wait to beat the Brazilian in front of his home crowd and then leave with the belt.”

Watch the full exclusive interview with Steve Erceg below:

Exclusive – Steve Erceg excited to share the stage with Jose Aldo at UFC 301: ‘The King of Rio is back!’

Exclusive - Steve Erceg excited to share the stage with Jose Aldo at UFC 301: 'The King of Rio is back!'Steve Erceg can’t wait to share the stage at UFC 301 with one of the greatest featherweights of all…

Exclusive - Steve Erceg excited to share the stage with Jose Aldo at UFC 301: 'The King of Rio is back!'

Steve Erceg can’t wait to share the stage at UFC 301 with one of the greatest featherweights of all time — Jose Aldo.

On Saturday, May 4, UFC Hall of Famer returns to the Octagon for the first time in nearly two years when the promotion heads back to his home country for a loaded night of fights at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Stepping into the co-main event spotlight, ‘Junior’ will square off with streaking bantamweight standout Jonathan Martinez.

Jose Aldo vs. Jonathan Martinez

Speaking with Andrew Whitelaw in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Steve Erceg — who headlines UFC 301 opposite reigning and defending flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja — is thrilled about the opportunity to share MMA’s biggest stage with one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters the sport has ever seen.

“He’s one of my favorite fighters of all time,” Erceg said of Aldo. “My coach was a big leg kicker and Jose Aldo’s kicks to the leg are some of the best you’ll see. I’m a big fan of his and I understand that he probably won’t be a big fan of mine at the time, but it’s super cool to fight on a card with him and for Brazil. The ‘King of Rio’ is coming back. How can you not be excited?”

Jose Aldo

Steve Erceg breaks down his unlikely title fight with ‘the cannibal’ at UFC 301

Just three fights into his run with the promotion, Steve Erceg will fight for his first world title when he meets the flyweight division’s top dog, Alexandre Pantoja, in the UFC 301 headliner.

Steve Erceg vs. Alexandre Pantoja

Pantoja goes into his latest defense with an overall record of 27-5 with eight of his wins coming by way of knockout and another 10 via submission. Recognizing the well-roundedness of his opponent, Erceg knows that he’s in for a tough test, but is undeniably excited for the opportunity to show up and show out against the best of the best.

“He’s very good. Obviously, he’s a world champion,” Erceg said. “His ground game is his best asset. He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He’s great off the back and he’s a lot stronger than I think people give him credit for. There are positions where his opponent will get underhooks and you expect them to use that to get up, but they can’t seem to find an avenue to move.

“The other asset I guess would be his chin. He does a lot of things wrong on the feet, but he gets away with it because of his chin. He’s a great fighter. He’s tough. I’m not gonna just run over him. It’s going to be a very hard well-fought fight and we’re going to see who the best man is.”

Alexandre Pantoja defends against Steve Erceg

As for how Erceg plans on leaving Brazil with UFC gold wrapped around his waist, ‘AstroBoy’ believes it will come down to controlling the pace and taking away opportunities for the champ to gather himself mid-fight.

“If I let him dictate the pace, that is bad for me,” Erceg added. “I have to make sure that I take it out of his realm. He does burst really hard when he’s going, but he does need those rests to get his breath back and continue on with the fight. If I can take those rests away, I think it’s going to be a bad night for him.”

Currently, Pantoja is a sizeable favorite going into the scrap, sitting at -250 on a majority of sportsbooks. An understandable spot considering he holds victories over some of the biggest names to come through 125, including Manel Kape, Brandon Royval, Alex Perez, and former flyweight titleholder Brandon Moreno on two separate occasions.

“He’s beaten a lot of guys who I thought were more talented, that’s for sure. … He’s definitely got some good genetics,” Erceg concluded.


Watch the full exclusive interview with Steve Erceg below: