If [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] gets his wish, he will be fighting for a title in a third division after stopping [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] for the second time.
In the main event of UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) met Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) for a short-notice title rematch after the original headliner Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fell apart. Pereira’s legacy as one of the most dangerous knockout artists grew by stopping Prochazka just 13 seconds into Round 2.
After a very lengthy, intense staredown, the hard-hitting light heavyweights went to work. Pereira found the range with a few kicks and clipped Prochazka with a nice left hand early.
Prochazka darted forward with a combination but was caught again by a nice counter from Pereira. Prochazka feinted strikes repeatedly and found an opening to bring the champ into the fence with a clinch. With less than a minute to go, Pereira separated and connected with a few leg kicks before detonating a left hand on the chin at the buzzer, dropping Prochazka.
Prochazka waved Pereira in, but the round was over.
Then, Round 2 began and promptly ended.
Pereira threw a swift left head kick out of the gate, immediately putting Prochazka down again. The champ swarmed with follow-up punches, and referee Herb Dean came in to stop the fight.
— UFC (@ufc) June 30, 2024
There was no celebration from Pereira, just a stone-faced walk-off. He even returned to check on Prochazka, but was waved away as his opponent struggled to get his feet under him.
Aside from explaining what “chama” means during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Pereira told the UFC commentator that he would like an opportunity to fight for a third title at heavyweight after winning middleweight and light heavyweight gold.
“I think that’s in my future,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “I said it last time I was here. … I’m here, I’m available, and I do think that’s in my future.”
With the win, Pereira records his second light heavyweight title defense while extending his winning streak to four. Pereira won the vacant title by defeating Prochazka at UFC 295 in November and successfully defended for the first time against former champion Jamahal Hill in April at UFC 300.
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Up-to-the-minute UFC 303 results include:
- Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka via knockout (head kick, punches) – Round 2, 0:13
- Diego Lopes def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Roman Dolidze def. Anthony Smith via via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Macy Chiasson def. Mayra Bueno Silva via TKO (doctor’s stoppage, cut) – Round 2, 1:58
- Ian Machado Garry def. Michael Page via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Joe Pyfer def. Marc-Andre Barriault via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
- Andre Fili def. Cub Swanson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jean Silva def. Charles Jourdain via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:22
- Payton Talbott def. Yanis Ghemmouri via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:19
- Gillian Robertson def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Martin Buday def. Andrei Arlovski via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Rei Tsuruya def. Carlos Hernandez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Vinicius Oliveira def. Ricky Simon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.