Alex Pereira is quickly rocketing up the ladder of all-time great status after delivering another jaw-dropping knockout to defend his title in the UFC 303 main event.
Despite taking the fight on short notice to replace an injured Conor McGregor on the card, Pereira came out looking like he just endured a 10-week training camp as he surgically dissected Jiri Prochazka on the feet. Pereira showed off all of his various weapons from some of the nastiest leg kicks in the sport to arguably the most powerful hands in the UFC.
Pereira nearly ended the fight after he blasted Prochazka with a left hook at the end of the opening round but instead he finished with a highlight reel head kick as soon as the second round began. It was another stunning performance as Pereira remains champion with his latest knockout coming just 13 seconds into the second round to end Prochazka’s night at UFC 303.
ALEX PEREIRA KNOCKS JIRI OUT WITH A HEADKICK SECONDS INTO ROUND 2 #UFC303 pic.twitter.com/Jf15Li2Tx1
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) June 30, 2024
“It was great,” Pereira said about the win. “I was saying all week I was going to come out here and be victorious. I don’t know what the next step is. I’m taking these opportunities. Everything that’s coming my way is positive so this is what I’m doing.”
Sadly, Prochazka’s best efforts to change his fortune from the first encounter with Pereira didn’t matter in the end. He actually opened the fight this time around with a series of stance switches in hopes of protecting his legs from the damaging leg kicks that Pereira always throws.
It didn’t matter, however, as the Brazilian continued to chip away at Prochazka with several kicks connecting with a sickening thud.
That opened up Pereira’s ability to go back up top to the head with his signature left hook connecting, which followed a jab that just stabbed at Prochakza from the outside. With just a few seconds remaining in the opening round, Pereira uncorked another stiff left hook directly to the jaw that knocked Prochazka to the ground just as the horn sounded.
Prochazka smiled as he got to his feet but he was also stumbling back to his corner as he took full advantage of the one minute break in an attempt to recover.
In the end, that didn’t matter.
As soon as the second round got started, Pereira launched a kick that bounced off Prochazka’s head and sent him crashing to the canvas. After some complained that the first fight may have endured an early stoppage, referee Herb Dean allowed the action to continue for a few more seconds as Pereira continued to hammer away with punches.
Finally, Dean stepped in to rescue Prochazka from further harm.
It was another unbelievable performance in a UFC career filled with them as Pereira wins again in spectacular fashion.
After already conquering two division in a very short amount of time, Pereira might have designs on a third championship in the near future.
“I think that’s in my future,” Pereira said about potentially going to heavyweight. “I said that last time I was here. I said it a lot, but it didn’t seem to be too much interest in the organization. But I’m here, I’m available and I do think that’s in my future.
“I think the fans have a lot of say in this. If this is what they want, I think this is going to be inevitable.”
