Alex Pereira confirms suffering foot injury during Magomed Ankalaev rematch, eyes return on UFC White House card

Alex Pereira's victory at UFC 320 seemingly came at a cost. The Brazilian knockout artist revealed that he sustained a foot fracture during his first-round stoppage win against Magomed Ankalaev in Las Vegas.

The injury, confirmed through scans conducted in the United States and Brazil, has derailed talks of an immediate return. Pereira is now targeting June for his comeback, potentially on the planned UFC White House event.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of UFC Rio, Pereira expressed interest in aligning his return with the high-profile Washington, D.C. card. The event is tentatively linked to President Donald Trump's birthday on June 14.

Speaking about his injury and return timeline, he said:

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“I did an X-Ray in Las Vegas and an MRI here, and we have a fracture on my foot, but I still don’t know what will happen, or how long it will take for me to recover. I think it’s good to focus on this White House [date], it’s something that interests me. I think I’ll focus on this." [H/t: MMA Fighting]

He also touched upon Ankalaev's camp comments, claiming that the Dagestani fighter fought Pereira with an injury. He said:

“I can’t know, but if it was already injured, it hurt it even more [with the elbows]. You can’t give excuses. I had a thousand excuses to say, but I waited to say when we were about to fight again. They’re already giving away [excuses] to maybe take away my merits, I don’t know.”

Charles Oliveira backs Alex Pereira to beat Jon Jones at heavyweight

Charles Oliveira believes Alex Pereira has the tools to defeat Jon Jones if the two eventually meet at heavyweight. The Brazilian lightweight contender spoke ahead of UFC Rio, where he headlines against Mateusz Gamrot.

Oliveira acknowledged Jones’ legacy as one of the sport’s greatest but noted that Pereira’s power makes him a unique threat. Speaking to the media ahead of his fight, Oliveira said:

“It’s definitely going to be a fight that I will sit down and cheer for Brazil, for 'Poatan'. But I’ll be apprehensive watching it because [Jones] is great. But I think that whoever stands in front of 'Poatan', regardless of being someone who only takes people down, if [Pereira] lands a hand, he’s getting knocked out.”

Check out Charles Oliveira's comments below:

About the author

Abhishek Ramadasan Nambiar is a journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda. As a long-time practitioner of various martial arts, seeing the fusion of different forms into a quest for the ultimate fighter felt both primal and profoundly technical. At Sportskeeda, Abhishek's primary goal is to offer a fresh and distinctive angle through his writing, aiming to provide readers with more than just the basics of MMA. Along with keeping them informed about the latest developments in the sport, he strives to offer valuable insights that enhance their understanding of MMA.

When not writing about MMA, Abhishek often spends time reviewing music or devouring Brian Evanson's and Blake Crouch's work. Sign up to receive news, regular updates, and exclusive coverage.

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