Tag: Alex Pereira

Khalil Rountree says wrestling UFC champ Alex Pereira not in plans: ‘I have never shot one takedown’

Khalil Rountree plans on standing toe-to-toe with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] plans on standing toe-to-toe with UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) challenges light heavyweight champion Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the UFC 307 main event in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5. Nobody’s had an answer for Pereira on the feet at 205 pounds, but Rountree won’t shy away from the challenge.

“So check this out: In my career, I have never shot one takedown,” Rountree told The Schmo. “That’s not in my plans, right? I’m here to put on an amazing fight for the fans. This one, regardless of what anybody says, this is a fight for the fans.

“I think with my style, with his style, this fight is not going to disappoint. So, I’m there to do what I do, to do what my fans and everybody knows that I’m capable of, and all I can say is expect a banger, man.”

Many observers have been critical of Rountree getting a title shot, but the streaking 34-year-old has brushed off all the complaints. Rountree thinks his high finish rate makes him must-see TV.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rountree said. “The fight’s happening regardless of whatever they think or not. The fight’s happening, and it’s going to be a good one, and that’s all I can say, man. … Any time any UFC fan watches me fight, they can expect the same thing.

“I come out there, I put on the performances that I put on, it’s always exciting, it’s always violent, so they can expect that and even more. And at the end, the belt around my waist secures it all. I’m f*cking happy, man.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Jan Blachowicz baffled by Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree fight: ‘Why they don’t ask me about this?’

Jan Blachowicz believes the UFC is giving Alex Pereira preferential treatment, and he’s not OK with it.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] believes the UFC is giving [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] preferential treatment.

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defends his light heavyweight title against [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC)  in the UFC 307 main event Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City, a fight announcement that caught many off guard.

Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC), who arguably gave Pereira his toughest test at 205 pounds when he lost a split decision at UFC 291, wants to know why he wasn’t approached as a potential opponent for “Poatan.” He also can’t understand why Magomed Ankalaev didn’t get the call and was instead booked against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308.

“No f*cking idea,” Blachowicz told Middle Easy. “I don’t know. You tell me because I’m confused. What the f*ck, you know? Why they book Ankalaev with Rakic? Why? Why they don’t ask me about this?

“Maybe I would be ready a little bit earlier. No one asked me. I just don’t understand. For me, it’s weird, and that don’t make any sense for me. I feel like special protection for Pereira. I don’t understand. Why?”

Blachowicz was the one who welcomed Pereira to the light heavyweight division – a fight he’s still adamant he won. He thinks the UFC is tactically picking strikers for Pereira so he can shine.

“I believe that I won this fight against him, and maybe they don’t want to make this fight again because they know that this time, he’s going to lose for 100 percent,” Blachowicz said. “Maybe also that’s why they don’t want to give Ankalaev to him because Ankalaev is also very strong. Maybe this is the reason, that Khalil is a striker and maybe they want to make another nice win for him. Easy, maybe not easy, but another knockout win, something like this.

“I just don’t understand. … If they want big name, I think they can make Ankalaev with Pereira right now. I think Ankalaev will be ready also for another UFC in Abu Dhabi. I think they know everything, what they want to do. They just want to do this, and they did. They’ve got something in their head like, one year into the future, something like this. So, I think they already know what they want to do.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Jiri Prochazka: ‘I really don’t understand the chance’ for Khalil Rountree vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 307

Like many, Jiri Prochazka is surprised to see Khalil Rountree get a UFC title opportunity vs. Alex Pereira.

PERTH, Australia – Like many, [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] is surprised to see [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] get the title opportunity vs. UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) challenges Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) on Oct. 5 in the UFC 307 main event in Salt Lake City, Utah. The fight announcement left the likes of Jamahal Hill dumbfounded and also caught Prochazka off guard.

Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is coming off a title loss to Pereira at UFC 303 in June – a setback that doesn’t sit well with him. Prochazka’s lone two octagon losses have both come to Pereira by finish.

“OK, it’s a fight, I really don’t understand the chance for Rountree,” Prochazka said during the UFC 305 Q&A. “But, I still keep my mind on Alex Pereira because I believe I can beat him. I believe in that.

“My honor is telling me to stay at light heavyweight, fight another guy, win the next fight, win the next fight, take a title, and show the best, because last time I think I showed my worst performance in my life.”

Prochazka admits he’s still undecided on whether he’ll remain at 205 pounds or drop down to middleweight for his next fight.

“It depends on where I will stay,” Prochazka said. “In light heavyweight, there is, I think, in the next step Jamahal Hill, and if I decide to go to middleweight, let’s see who will be there. But right now, because I’m talking about middleweight because I feel like my body still can push it to this weight, take the belt, and go back or whatever. So that’s on my mind right now.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Dricus Du Plessis’ coach hopes Alex Pereira fight can happen in December: ‘We’ll just go up’

Dricus Du Plessis’ coach is game for Alex Pereira next – but at light heavyweight.

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]’ coach is game for [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] next – but at light heavyweight.

Middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) notched his first title defense when he submitted Israel Adesanya in Round 4 of their UFC 305 headliner Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Light heavyweight champion Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) stated that he’d drop back down to middleweight one more time to challenge Du Plessis, but head coach Morne Visser would rather Du Plessis move up for a shot at dual-champion status.

Pereira is currently slated to defend his title against Khalil Rountree in the UFC 307 main event Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City, and Visser hopes “Poatan” can continue his active run by making a quick turnaround by the end of the year.

“No, I won’t give him the joy to go down to 185 (pounds),” Visser told Submission Radio on Pereira. “We’ll just go up because we don’t want to beat him and he’ll say that ‘We had to go down’ and he was fatigued and whatever. So, no – we’ll go up.

“I’m sure that the UFC will be OK with that – going up, if that’s what he said. I know Dricus is game, so we’ll go up. I’m not going to wait for him to come down. He’s fighting in October, so I really hope the UFC gives us the blessing for this for December – as soon as that.”

Regarding the stylistic matchup between Du Plessis and Pereira, Visser wasn’t ready to give an answer just yet, but assured that if the UFC offered the fight, they’re accepting it right away.

“It’s a different game plan,” Visser said. “There’s no way we’re going to walk away from getting asked from the UFC to do something like that. We were criticized a few times with Dricus saying no with injuries in the past. This fight (vs. Adesanya) was supposed to happen earlier. I’m glad it didn’t because I’m sure Izzy changed his whole game plan, so this was a proper brawl.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Dricus Du Plessis submits Israel Adesanya, other UFC 305 results, Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree

Our panel discusses the major results from UFC 305, Alex Pereira’s title bout vs. Khalil Rountree, the PFL playoffs and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matt Wells and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at a special start time of 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • It was “And still” Saturday when [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] defended his middleweight belt for the first time against former champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] in the main event of UFC 305. Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) submitted Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in the fourth round of their contest, and now appears to have set up a title rematch with Sean Strickland. Is that the right fight to make? Where does Adesanya go from here? We discuss the fallout from the UFC 305 main event.
  • Du Plessis’ win wasn’t the only important thing that went down at UFC 305. The card also was host to several key results, including [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]’s TKO win over [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag], [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]’s upset of [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag], and many more. We break down all the notable moments outside the UFC 305 main event.
  • UFC 307 has its headlining acts. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] will be defending his light heavyweight title against [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] in the main event, and a women’s bantamweight title fight between [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] and [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] will serve as its co-main event. There’s plenty to digest with those big bout announcements.

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Dricus Du Plessis welcomes Alex Pereira’s post-UFC 305 callout, prefers 205 pounds with no ‘excuses’

Dricus Du Plessis has a counterproposal for Alex Pereira after “Poatan” claimed he will return to middleweight following UFC 305.

PERTH, Australia – [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] has a counterproposal for [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] after he claimed he will return to middleweight following UFC 305.

Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) registered his first middleweight title defense Saturday when he submitted Israel Adesanya in the fourth round at RAC Arena. Shortly after his hand was raised, former divisional kingpin and current light heavyweight champ Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) sent a clear message that he will return to his former weight class.

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If Du Plessis was to fight Pereira, however, his preference would be for it not to happen at 185 pounds. It’s no secret Pereira cut a massive amount of weight to fight in that division, and Du Plessis thinks the Brazilian coming back down would sully a potential victory in his favor.

Because of that, Du Plessis pitched the idea of moving up to 205 pounds, where Pereira would be at optimal strength.

“I honestly don’t think Alex Pereira should drop down to 185,” Du Plessis told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 305. “If he wants to? Great. Perfect. But then we’re going to hear the excuses. I saw Izzy stiff that man in the (second) round. I felt Izzy’s punching power. Izzy has great timing. He’s fast, he’s long and he has great combinations, but I felt the power. If Izzy stiffens you like that, you do not want to be there in with me – especially not when you’re going to come with the excuse of, ‘I cut too much weight.’

“That’s going to happen. Everyone is going to say that. So stay at 205. Fight your fight against the No. 8-ranked guy, (Khalil Rountree at UFC 307). Cool. Fight your fight there and enjoy it. If (Sean) Strickland is the next fight that people want to see that fight – that’s the fight people want to see and that’s the fight people think is the next best guy – then that’s the fight that I want. So let me handle my business, you handle your business. You don’t have to cut the weight to have some sort of excuse. I’ll come up after the Strickland fight. I’ll come up to 205 and we’ll sort it out there.”

Du Plessis, 30, said he’s not looking to escape the middleweight division and knows he has much work to do. He has significant ambitions for greatness under the UFC banner, but if the members of the promotional brass are open to a matchup between Pereira and him, he gladly would jump up to take the opportunity to become a two-weight champion.

“If that’s what the UFC wants, I’ll be ready for it,” Du Plessis said. “I’ll be ready for it right now, but I’m not chasing that. I believe to be considered as the greatest to ever do this sport, I need to be considered as the greatest middleweight, first. I’m the first guy to beat Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. I’ve beat three of the top 20 pound-for-pound fighters, so can I please get back in the top 10? I beat Strickland, I beat Whittaker and I beat Adesanya. I haven’t been on social media, but I can’t wait to see what the critics say now.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree title fight headlines UFC 307 in Salt Lake City

The UFC’s return to Utah this fall has a main event – and it’s not one that was on many people’s radars.

The UFC’s return to Utah this fall has a main event – and it’s not one that was on many people’s radars.

Light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) will put his title on the line against [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 headliner in Salt Lake City on Oct. 5. UFC officials announced the matchup Friday.

Already in 2024, Pereira has title defenses in the UFC 300 main event against ex-champ Jamahal Hill and in the UFC 303 main event against ex-champ Jiri Prochazka. A win for Pereira would give him four light heavyweight title wins in about 11 months. Few, if any, UFC champions average more than two title fights a year.

Many wondered who would be a viable next opponent for Pereira after Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) was matched up with Aleksandar Rakic (14-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. And considering Pereira fought in April, then again in late June, the timing is perhaps an indication Pereira intends to keep right on trucking through the UFC’s history books.

Pereira won the UFC’s middleweight title against kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya in late 2022, but lost the belt to him in a rematch. He then moved to light heavyweight and needed just two fights to become champion. His two defenses came in short order, too.

Fair or not, Rountree’s name wasn’t atop most potential title challenger lists. But the 34-year-old veteran of Season 23 of “The Ultimate Fighter” has a five-fight winning streak with four stoppages, including a third-round finish of former title challenger Anthony Smith this past December. He has three post-fight bonuses in that stretch, as well.

But earlier this year, he was supposed to fight former champ Jamahal Hill at UFC 303, but was forced out when he tested positive for banned substances, including androsterone, a banned steroid. He was suspended for two months.

Pereira, who has been just a slight favorite or underdog in all his UFC fights, is likely to experience a big bump in early support when the oddsmakers go to work, given his recent resume.

UFC 307 also added a co-main event women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Raquel Pennington and former champ Julianna Peña.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Dana White ridicules Jake Paul for calling out Alex Pereira, who ‘sells 400 times the f*cking pay-per-views’

Dana White thinks Jake Paul needs Alex Pereira to sell pay-per-views.

[autotag]Dana White[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] needs [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] to sell pay-per-views.

Paul called out UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira after he stopped Mike Perry in their boxing match in July. “Poatan” responded by saying, “Let’s go,” but White is far from interested in making that fight happen.

White thinks Pereira is the much bigger draw, and doesn’t see Paul as a pay-per-view star.

“I wonder if the commission would even let that f*cking fight happen,” White said on FULL SEND PODCAST. “Are you talking boxing or UFC? He’d kick his f*cking head to another planet. He calls people out for attention. Alex is a f*cking superstar right now. So Jake calls him out and Jake gets press. Jake says I’m trying to assassinate him, and I said I’m going to f*cking …

“It’s all lies. It’s not true. Yeah, (Pereira is a bigger star than Paul). He sells 400 times the f*cking pay-per-views. The Jake Paul fight that just happened didn’t sell any f*cking pay-per-views. They don’t sell sh*t for pay-per-views. I’ll give him this: It’s fascinating that they keep getting new deals done with these guys that (have) got to be getting f*cked.”

Paul meets boxing legend Mike Tyson Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. White says he stopped following Paul’s career ever since he lost to Tommy Fury.

“Jake Paul’s doing his thing,” White said. “He went out and lied and said I would sign Mike Perry if he beat him, I’ve been trying to assassinate him. You haven’t heard me say sh*t about Jake Paul, and the only time I ever talk about Jake Paul is if I’m asked about him.

“He went out and lied and said I said all this sh*t. It’s the furthest thing from the truth. Do you think with all the sh*t I’ve got going on and what we’re doing, you think I’m f*cking thinking about Jake Paul? I’m not. And I don’t mean that in a way to sh*t on the f*cking kid, it’s just the truth.”

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Daniel Cormier questions if UFC protecting ‘golden goose’ Alex Pereira by avoiding Magomed Ankalaev

Daniel Cormier is surprised that Magomed Ankalaev didn’t get a title shot with Alex Pereira for his next fight.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] is surprised that [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] didn’t get a UFC light heavyweight title shot.

Instead, Anakalev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) drew Aleksandar Rakic (14-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) on Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. That leaves light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) without an opponent, and Cormier wonders if booking Ankalaev against someone else was done on purpose – considering that “Poatan” has come up big for the promotion by saving UFC 300 and UFC 303 on short notice this year.

“I don’t know why Pereira is not fighting Ankalaev right now,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “I don’t know why that’s not happening. What I do like is that now Ankalaev has to pass another test because what the UFC is kind of saying here is, We’ve got this star, we know that this guy here could be a real potential issue for that star, they will fight eventually, but they will fight when we have no other option.’ I like it.”

Cormier explained that Pereira’s past few opponents have been dangerous strikers who don’t have the ability to mix it up like Ankalaev can.

“I don’t think you run the risk yet,” Cormier said. “I’m not saying Pereira can’t fight or beat Ankalaev. I just feel like it is a very, very difficult matchup, possibly the hardest matchup for him in the entire light heavyweight division. So I think he has to wait, or you get him in there with someone else right now that’s a striker because all these strikers he’s just knocking out left and right, and every time he does that his star just shines brighter.

“So maybe that is what happens for Alex Pereira, but I’m very rarely surprised when fights get announced. But I remember sitting in Manchester and they said UFC 308, and when I saw Rakic taking on Ankalaev, my jaw dropped. I was like, ‘They actually did it.’ Like sometimes you’ve got to protect that golden goose a little bit, and that’s kind of what it feels like.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Tom Aspinall: If Alex Pereira and I fight, ‘it’s going to be for an undisputed heavyweight title’

Tom Aspinall is open to welcoming Alex Pereira to heavyweight – but only if it’s an undisputed title fight.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] is open to welcoming [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] to heavyweight – but only if it’s an undisputed title fight.

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is fresh off a title defense against Curtis Blaydes, where he needed exactly a minute to take him out at UFC 304 in July.

Light heavyweight champion Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is currently without an opponent, after leading candidate Magomed Ankalaev was booked against Aleksandar Rakic Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

Aspinall’s lone focus is a title-unifying bout vs. the winner of heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, but isn’t ruling out a future bout with Pereira.

“The guy’s a superstar in the sport, so do whatever you want,” Aspinall said of Pereira on his YouTube channel. “If we meet, for sure, I think we’re both on the same page: It’s going to be for an undisputed heavyweight title. Maybe see you next year at some point.

“Like I’ve said, I’ve got a lot of respect for Alex Pereira and what he’s done in the sport, and especially in a short amount of time. But if we’re going to make it happen, it’s going to be for the undisputed title. So see him there.”

Pereira, who knocked out Jiri Prochazka a second time at UFC 303 in June, has said on numerous occasions that he would entertain a move up to heavyweight. However, UFC CEO Dana White wasn’t too keen on the idea, warning “Poatan” of the size difference at the weight class above.

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