Conor McGregor suffering a broken toe during the final weeks of his training camp forced a dramatic shift in the UFC 303 main event with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira stepping up on short notice to save the day in a rematch against Jiri Prochazka.
Of course it was well documented that Pereira actually suffered a broken toe of his own prior to his previous fight at UFC 300 but he remained on the historic card and ultimately knocked out Jamahal Hill in the first round. Barely two months later, Pereira fights again — this time with only a couple of weeks to prepare to defend his belt — but the eight fight UFC veteran didn’t hesitate to accept when the promotion came calling.
So how does he feel about McGregor dropping out of a fight with the same injury that he fought through at UFC 300?
“You can never judge people’s pain,” Pereira said about McGregor during UFC 303 media day. “Different scenarios, different situations.”
The way Pereira sees it, he’s still got a lot of work to do before he’s even close to McGregor’s level of wealth and financial security. That kind of cushion where McGregor technically never has to fight another day in his life allows him to sit out when he’s not at full health.
Pereira doesn’t feel like he has that same option right now but perhaps his choice to compete at UFC 300 would have been different with hundreds of millions of dollars sitting in his bank account.
“He made his name. He made his money. He made his life,” Pereira said. “I’m kind of halfway there. So I fought with the broken toe due to my situation but maybe if I was in his situation, I would not have fought. So I cannot judge.”
As for his readiness ahead of UFC 303, Pereira refused to make any excuses much less explain any potential shortcomings he faced after accepting a five-round title fight with less than two weeks to prepare.
“I feel very good right now, regardless of short notice or not,” Pereira said. “I’m very happy to be here.”
While he fully expects to win and defend his title on Saturday, Pereira knows from personal experience that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to combat sports.
Even if he’s recognized as one of the most lethal strikers in the history of kickboxing or MMA, Pereira’s also been knocked out in the past so he knows he could do everything right at UFC 303 and still walk out with a loss on his record.
That’s probably the same attitude Prochazka had after he lost to Pereira this past November in the fight that cost him the UFC light heavyweight title.
Because he fully understands the unpredictability that comes along with fighting, Pereira believes he’s going to win emphatically but if the worst should happen and he loses, “Poatan” has every confidence he’ll see Prochakza again in a trilogy.
“Nothing by the organization [telling me I get an immediate rematch] but I think if Jiri wins on Saturday, I think it makes more sense for a straight rematch,” Pereira said. “You have a lot of guys in line but I think in terms of making a fight, I think that makes more sense.”
If Pereira wins at UFC 303, he eliminates arguably one of the biggest threats to his belt because he would then hold two wins over Prochazka. It’s an incredibly rare occasion when anyone gets a third bite at the apple after a pair of losses.
Assuming the night goes how he wants, Pereira knows there are going to be plenty of options available to him including a potential showdown with one-time title challenger Anthony Smith, who also competes at UFC 303 on Saturday amid a growing rivalry between the two of them.
For now, Pereira promises none of that matters but whether it’s Smith, Magomed Ankalaev or somebody else, the terrifying Brazilian expects to be waiting for them.
“I’ll fight anybody,” Pereira said. “I’m not the one who chooses but I’ll be ready just like I was for this fight.”
