LAS VEGAS -- In a highly anticipated rematch for the UFC Light Heavyweight championship, Alex Pereira defeated Jiri Procházka by a knockout on Saturday night in a fast-paced striking battle at T-Mobile Arena.
Pereira, the reigning light heavyweight champion and former middleweight champion, was able to keep Procházka at range throughout most of the fight, utilizing his skill in distance and pace control to ultimately win. Procházka found the most success in the moments when he was able to use his awkward, unpredictable style of striking to shift the technical battle into dogfight-territory.
However, despite this approach, Pereira was able to maintain his composure to evade dangerous exchanges.
As the fight progressed, the benefit of Pereira's strategic approach and attention to defense became evident, as did the flaws in Procházka’s wild style. In the final seconds of the first round, Pereira landed a hard-hitting left hook to drop Procházka, in which he was ultimately saved by the bell.
However, as Procházka blitzed in during the first moments of the second round, Pereira was able to close the distance with a devastating high kick which sent Procházka crashing to the canvas. Pereira now holds two knockout wins over No.1 ranked Jiri Procházka.
During his post-fight speech, Pereira teased at a potential move to the heavyweight division.
“I think (heavyweight) is in my future,” he said. “I think the fans have a lot of say in this.
"In the end, these are the people paying for this, so if this is what they want, it’s going to be inevitable.”
With this short-notice victory, Pereira again solidified his title as light heavyweight champion and furthers his legacy as one of the sport's most dominant champions.
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In a surprise change to the co-main event, No.13 ranked featherweight Dan Ige steps in on short notice to replace Brian Ortega, who was forced to withdraw from his bout against Diego Lopes due to illness. Originally scheduled at 145 pounds, the fight was moved to 155 pounds when Ortega was having difficulty making weight, then, later moved to 165 pounds when Ige eventually replaced him.
Stepping in on just four hours’ notice, Ige fought a hard three rounds against one of the division’s top prospects in Lopes but was unable to achieve enough to sway the judges towards him. Lopes, who boasts one of the best jiu-jitsu backgrounds in the division, was able to control Ige throughout much of the fight and nullify much of Ige’s striking.
Weighing in three separate times for his bout, Lopes’ victory Saturday makes a statement to the rest of the featherweight division that he can hold his own against anyone, even a surprise opponent.
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The UFC's next PPV event is UFC 304, scheduled for July 27 in Manchester, England. The card will be headlined by welterweight champion Leon Edwards vs No. 2-ranked Belal Muhammad, with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall vs No. 4-ranked Curtis Blaydes as the co-main event.