Alex Pereira erupts in 80-second TKO to reclaim UFC light heavyweight title. The UFC spotlight shifted to Las Vegas this weekend as Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 took over the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, October 4, 2025. With championship gold on the line and several high-stakes clashes across the card. In the main event, Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira run it back for the UFC light heavyweight championship. The two clashed earlier this year at UFC 313 in March, where Ankalaev stunned fans by dethroning Pereira.
Ankalaev has built a reputation as one of the division’s toughest contenders. After an impressive run of fights, he finally reached championship status in March 2025 at UFC 313, when he defeated Pereira by unanimous decision to capture the light heavyweight title . Before his crowning moment, Ankalaev scored notable victories in 2024. In October 2024 at UFC 308 he outpointed Aleksandar Rakic in a tough three-round decision. Earlier that year, in January 2024, he stopped Johnny Walker with a second-round knockout, a win that cemented him as the next legitimate title contender.
On the other side, Alex “Poatan” has had an explosive run since moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight. In July 2024, Pereira knocked out former champion Jiri Prochazka in a rematch, confirming his place as one of the UFC’s most dangerous finishers. Later that year, in August 2024 at UFC 307, he stopped Khalil Rountree Jr. in the fourth round. Those back-to-back wins silenced critics who doubted his durability at light heavyweight. However, Pereira’s momentum came to a halt at UFC 313, where he dropped the title to Ankalaev by decision. It was a frustrating setback, but the Brazilian has vowed to bounce back stronger and reclaim his belt in the rematch.
Before the fight, the two touched gloves. From the opening bell, the action was intense and Pereira came out aggressive, marching Ankalaev down and landing a powerful right hand that rocked him to the canvas. When Ankalaev attempted to grapple, Pereira followed him to the mat and unleashed ground strikes and elbows until the referee stepped in to stop the fight. Back on his feet, Pereira broke into his trademark celebration, a proud gesture that seemed to say, “Look what I just did.” It took him only 80 seconds to deliver a knockout and reclaim his light heavyweight crown.
“Vengeance is never a good thing. It’s kind of a poison. I told everyone I was not in a good condition last time, nobody believed it,” Pereira said in a post-fight interview. “I don’t like to make excuses, but I’ve been saying I wasn’t well that night (of the first fight), but tonight I’m very well.”
The Brazilian paid tribute to former NFL linebacker Arthur Jones, brother of former UFC champion Jon Jones, who died on Friday, observing a moment of silence before leaving the cage. “I had a whole speech prepared tonight,” Pereira said. “I talked to me team but We got some news recently, something happened, so I want to give my respect to Jon Jones and his whole family and I want to ask everyone here and everyone at home to take a moment of silence for his brother.”
On Saturday night , Pereira didn’t just reclaim his belt, he reminded the world that greatness doesn’t fade, it reloads.
