Alex Pereira

Pereira opened aggressively with kicks and a late right hand, but Gane found his range behind the jab and straight left. Early in Round 2 a counter jab dropped Pereira, and Gane swarmed with heavy shots and elbows against the fence until referee Herb Dean stopped it at 1:27. Gane claimed the interim heavyweight title for the second time.

Key moments

• Round 1 was competitive: Pereira landed a head kick and a hard right late; Gane established his jab and straight left and stuffed a takedown.
• Early in Round 2 a Gane counter jab dropped Pereira, swinging the fight decisively.
• Gane unloaded punches and elbows, wobbling Pereira repeatedly against the cage as a desperation takedown failed.
• Herb Dean waved it off at 1:27 of Round 2 — denying Pereira a historic third-division title.

In an immediate rematch, Pereira reversed the first fight emphatically, reclaiming the light heavyweight title by stopping Ankalaev in 80 seconds. He pressured Ankalaev to the fence from the opening bell with calf kicks and right hands, dropped him, and finished with a barrage of elbows and punches.

Key moments

• Backed Ankalaev to the cage within seconds, attacking with calf kicks and right hands.
• A right hand hurt Ankalaev and put him on the back foot.
• Swarmed with elbows and ground strikes for the TKO at 1:20 of round one.
• Became a three-time UFC titleholder and avenged his UFC 313 loss.

Pereira lost his light heavyweight title in a tactical, divisive decision. Ankalaev beat him to the punch early and smothered his offense with clinch work in the second half, racking up control time despite going 0-for-12 on takedowns. Pereira struggled to find the space to land his signature left hook.

Key moments

• Ankalaev controlled distance and beat Pereira to the punch early.
• Heavy clinch pressure denied Pereira room to set up his power shots.
• Ankalaev went 0-for-12 on takedowns but logged nearly six minutes of control.
• Pereira dropped a close decision and surrendered the belt for the first time.

Pereira survived a tougher-than-expected challenge to make his third light heavyweight title defense of 2024. Rountree's speed and southpaw stance won him the early rounds — and briefly dropped Pereira to a knee — but the jab, calf kicks and altitude wore him down before a fourth-round barrage finished it.

Key moments

• Rountree landed the heavier blows early and dropped Pereira to a knee in round two.
• Pereira adjusted, snapping the jab and chopping the lead leg.
• Cuts opened around Rountree's eye and his gas tank emptied by round three.
• A right hand and a finishing flurry ended it at 4:32 of round four.

In a short-notice headliner, Pereira knocked out Procházka for the second time, ending their rematch 13 seconds into the second round. He opened the round with a high kick that landed flush and dropped Procházka, then followed with ground strikes until the referee intervened.

Key moments

• Opened round two with a high kick that landed clean.
• Procházka crumpled to the canvas immediately.
• Pereira followed with heavy ground-and-pound for the stoppage at 0:13.
• His second KO of Procházka, and a second light heavyweight title defense.

Headlining UFC 300, Pereira made his first light heavyweight title defense with a one-punch first-round knockout. A perfectly timed left hook clipped Hill under the chin and dropped him, and Pereira followed with hammer fists before the referee waved it off.

Key moments

• Timed a left hook under Hill's chin midway through round one.
• Hill fell backward, badly hurt.
• Pereira followed with hammer fists as Hill went limp.
• Stopped at 3:14 of round one on the sport's biggest card.

In a vacant title fight at Madison Square Garden, Pereira won the light heavyweight championship by stopping the former champion in round two. Procházka had success coming forward and landed a timely first-round takedown to steal that round, but midway through the second Pereira landed a clean counter left hook that put Procházka down, then finished with a volley of elbows to the temple.

Key moments

• Procházka secured a takedown late in round one to take the first round on most cards.
• Pereira countered a Procházka advance with a left hook in round two that sent him to the canvas.
• Pereira unloaded elbows to the temple to force the stoppage at 4:08 of round two.
• Became a two-division champion (middleweight and light heavyweight) in just his seventh UFC fight.

In his light heavyweight debut, Pereira overcame a dangerous first round to outwork Błachowicz over the final two rounds and win a split decision in Salt Lake City. Błachowicz jumped on his back early and attacked a rear-naked choke with a body triangle, but Pereira stripped the grip and stayed on his feet, then controlled the pace and landed the cleaner strikes in rounds two and three.

Key moments

• Błachowicz secured a takedown and locked in a body triangle with a rear-naked choke attempt in round one.
• Pereira defended the choke and returned to his feet, surviving the biggest danger of the fight.
• He controlled distance and outworked Błachowicz over the final two rounds with cleaner strikes.
• Judges scored it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 — his light heavyweight debut and a title-eliminator victory.

Pereira lost the middleweight title in a dramatic second-round KO reversal at Kaseya Center in Miami. He had Adesanya hurt with calf kicks and a flurry early in round two but overcommitted on the finish attempt, leaving himself open to a counter right hand from Adesanya that sent him stumbling. A follow-up right put him down and the fight was stopped at 4:21.

Key moments

• Pereira hurt Adesanya with calf kicks and had him covering up against the cage early in round two.
• Adesanya countered a finishing flurry with a right hand that buckled Pereira's knees.
• A second right hand put Pereira on the canvas and the referee waved it off at 4:21.
• Adesanya reclaimed the middleweight title, evening their overall combat sports record at one apiece in MMA.

Pereira won the UFC middleweight title in one of the most dramatic finishes in UFC history at Madison Square Garden. He was trailing badly on the scorecards — Adesanya had taken three of the first four rounds, including the first takedown of his UFC career in round three — but a fifth-round left hook rocked Adesanya, and Pereira followed with a right uppercut and a barrage of punches until the referee stopped it.

Key moments

• Adesanya controlled the early rounds, landing a flush right hand in round one and scoring a rare UFC takedown in round three.
• Pereira's corner urged him to chase a finish knowing he trailed 3-1 on the cards entering round five.
• A left hook wobbled Adesanya midway through round five, followed by a right uppercut and straight rights.
• Stopped at 2:01 of round five, making Pereira the UFC middleweight champion and extending his personal rivalry record over Adesanya to 3-0 across kickboxing and MMA.

In a middleweight title-eliminator at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Pereira stopped Strickland inside two and a half minutes with his signature short left hook. The punch landed clean and Strickland went down; as he attempted to rise, a follow-up right hand put him back on the canvas and the stoppage was called.

Key moments

• Pereira landed his trademark short left hook flush, sending Strickland immediately to the canvas.
• Strickland tried to get up but was dropped a second time by a right hand.
• Stopped at 2:36 of round one — Pereira's third UFC finish and his most prominent scalp to date.
• The win earned him a middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya.

In just his second UFC fight, Pereira earned a unanimous decision over a durable Bruno Silva, with all three judges scoring it 30-27. Silva was a tough out on the feet and landed heavy shots early, but Pereira controlled the striking exchanges over three rounds and wobbled him in the final frame to pull away clearly on the cards.

Key moments

• Silva traded back with Pereira on the feet and landed heavy shots across the early rounds.
• Pereira controlled the striking output and landed the cleaner, harder shots throughout.
• He hurt Silva midway through round three, pulling away decisively on the scorecards.
• All three judges scored it 30-27 — a clean win that set up his title-eliminator run.

Pereira announced his UFC arrival at Madison Square Garden with a stunning debut finish. Michailidis controlled the first round with pressure and takedown attempts, but Pereira opened the second with a flying knee that landed flush and deposited Michailidis on the canvas, then added follow-up punches for the stoppage just 18 seconds in.

Key moments

• Michailidis dominated round one by pressing Pereira against the cage and attempting takedowns.
• Pereira launched a flying knee within seconds of round two that caught Michailidis clean on the chin.
• Michailidis fell immediately and Pereira followed with ground strikes for the stoppage at 0:18.
• The UFC debut of the reigning two-division GLORY kickboxing champion announced him as an immediate middleweight threat.

Making his LFA debut after transitioning from kickboxing, Pereira stopped Powell with a left hook late in the first round at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas. The knockout was so severe that Powell was unconscious for several minutes, though he eventually left the cage under his own power.

Key moments

• Pereira landed a left hook that immediately rendered Powell unconscious.
• Powell remained down for approximately five minutes before regaining consciousness.
• The finish demonstrated Pereira's one-punch KO power translating from kickboxing to MMA.
• His final fight before signing with the UFC, completed his 3-1 pre-UFC MMA record.

Pereira earned his second consecutive MMA win on the Brazilian regional circuit, stopping Silveira in the second round at Ginásio Mauro Pinheiro in São Paulo. The TKO victory continued his early run of finishes after his debut loss and established him as a prospect on the Jungle Fight promotion.

Key moments

• Second-round TKO, consistent with his pattern of finishing opponents in the early rounds.
• Second straight win after his debut loss, rebounding on the Brazilian regional scene.
• Part of a three-fight Jungle Fight run between 2015 and 2016 before he moved toward bigger promotions.
• His striking power from two-division GLORY kickboxing was evident even in early MMA outings.

Pereira scored his first MMA victory in his second professional bout, stopping Cruz in the opening round at Jungle Fight 85. The first-round knockout bounce-back came just three months after his submission defeat at Jungle Fight 82 and showed his punch-based finishing power in MMA.

Key moments

• First-round KO finish, the beginning of a run of quick stoppages that would define his MMA career.
• Came three months after his submission loss at Jungle Fight 82 — a fast turnaround and redemption.
• His striking credentials as a reigning GLORY kickboxing champion made him heavily favored on the feet.
• First of two consecutive wins on the Jungle Fight circuit in 2016.

Pereira's professional MMA debut ended in a third-round submission loss, exposing the grappling vulnerability that would follow him into his UFC career. Ottoni worked the fight to the ground and locked in a rear-naked choke in the third round, tapping out the then-reigning GLORY kickboxing champion at 2:52.

Key moments

• Professional MMA debut for Pereira, who entered as a celebrated two-division GLORY kickboxing champion.
• Ottoni targeted the grappling dimension that Pereira lacked at the time and took the fight to the ground.
• The rear-naked choke submission in round three exposed Pereira's early-career wrestling and grappling deficits.
• The only submission loss of his career — he has not been submitted since, improving his grappling defense significantly.