Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is already eyeing a 21-day turnaround for UFC 301 in Rio, should he defeat Jamahal Hill in April.
Taking to social media, ‘Poatan’ shared how should he remain light heavyweight champion after facing Hill at UFC 300, he wants a quick turnaround to headline UFC 301 in Brazil.
UFC 301 doesn’t yet have a main event and will take place in RioArena in Rio de Janeiro on May 4, three weeks after the UFC 300 mega-event; it would be Pereira first MMA fight in his home country since 2016.
Alex Pereira eyes a 21-day turnaround for UFC 301 homecoming
Alex Pereira’s rise to becoming not only UFC middleweight champion, but also earning a second belt at light heavyweight has been nothing short of meteoric.
Poatan wants to keep that same energy and strength of schedule going in 2024, sharing on social media that should he defeat Hill at UFC 300, a quick turnaround for UFC 301 is still on the cards:
“He [Alex Pereira] has always spoken that he wants to defend the belt, hopefully, at a very fast pace and he’s now got that opportunity with the cards being so close.”
“Defend now at UFC 300 and maybe in Rio…That’s a very big possibility.”
Considering the current landscape at light heavyweight and the scheduled bouts already confirmed, arguably the most likely opponents for UFC 301 would be Magomed Anklavaev or Khalil Rountree Jr.
“Because if he doesn’t get hurt, he’s done that before in kickboxing and of course, anything can happen in a fight he could get hurt, you can never predict it, but [with] everything going fine – there is a big chance that he will try to defend the belt very fast.”
Yet if Pereira is to get his homecoming PPV event, he first needs to get through former champion Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC 300; certainly, no easy task.
Poatan might be tempted to hold back making predictions months in advance of events, with now-former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski having also previously teased a quick turnaround, only to be defeated at the hands of Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.
‘Sweat Dreams’ Hill is riding a four-fight winning streek and technically never even lost the belt, instead forced vacate the light heavyweight title due to injury in 2023.
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Pereira vs Hill takes place on April 13, in the main event of UFC 300.