Alex Pereira Analyzes UFC 303 Knockout, Addresses Ankalaev & Hill Callouts

Alex Pereira and his team left no stone unturned in their pre-fight planning. Their meticulous preparation paid off.

A bit of last-second film study played a major role in Pereira’s second successful defense of his UFC light heavyweight title. The fight headlined UFC 303 in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Pereira faced Jiri Prochazka in a rematch, finishing the Czech warrior with strikes again. This time, it was a head kick that signaled the beginning of the end.

At the end of Round 1, Pereira had already rocked Prochazka badly. He opened Round 2 with a high kick set up thanks to his coaches watching Prochazka’s warmup on Instagram earlier that evening.

“Actually, I was in the locker room talking to Plinio, one of my coaches,” Pereira said at the post-fight press conference via a Portuguese translator. “He showed me the video of Jiri warming up.”

“I saw that he was planning to counterattack that calf kick. Defend and counter. But I told Plinio that he was doing the wrong timing; it wasn’t good.”

“So I saw he was too focused on not taking that kick and kept his hands down, leaving his head exposed. So I told him, I’m going to explore the high kick.”

Pereira did just that, connecting beautifully and securing two wins over his respected rival. Prochazka is known for highlight-reel knockouts but has yet to figure out how to beat Pereira.

The two fighters stepped in on short notice for UFC 303 after Conor McGregor‘s toe injury canceled his bout against Michael Chandler. Pereira and Prochazka will forever be linked when discussing this era of fighters.

“I was focused,” Pereira said about his intense pre-fight staredown with Prochazka in the cage. “I saw someone focused—a warrior—and it motivated me more.”

A similar staredown occurred in their first fight, which also ended with Pereira catching Prochazka standing up. Asked if there were any adjustments between their fights, Pereira said no drastic changes were made; he’s steadily improving.

“No, nothing new on my end,” Pereira said. “I think I’m still evolving in MMA; I keep evolving a lot.”

Fans are eager to see what’s next for Pereira, who has won UFC titles at light heavyweight and middleweight. He could become the organization’s first-ever three-division champion if he jumps to heavyweight.

Pereira plans to rest before deciding his next move but hasn’t stopped rivals from calling him out—like Magomed Ankalaev and past opponent Jamahal Hill—both chiming in on social media after Saturday’s main event.

“Everybody deserves [it], but I’m not the guy to ask,” Pereira said about Ankalaev’s challenge. “Talk to Dana White.”

“Anybody,” he added when asked if he wants to fight Ankalaev again.

“OK,” was all he had for Hill’s challenge.