On This Day in 2022: The UFC Found A New Knockout King Superstar at UFC 276
Credit: https://x.com/fightpicsgohard/status/1543439601783767040?t=d2bVg51JHlhyiocz7Zf66Q&s=19
On this day in 2022, Alex Pereira announced his arrival as a true UFC force with a thunderous first-round knockout of Sean Strickland at UFC 276.
Coming from a background of being an elite kickboxer who had previously knocked out Israel Adesanya in that sport, all eyes were on the Brazilian as he stepped up in competition in the UFC. The bout at UFC 276 was billed as a competitive middleweight clash, but Pereira had other ideas and made sure it didn’t last long.
On This Day in 2022: Alex Pereira Put the UFC on Notice With A Brutal One-punch KO
Just 2 minutes and 36 seconds into the opening round against Strickland, Pereira uncorked his signature left hook, the same weapon that had brought him glory in kickboxing, and it sent the American crashing to the canvas. One final punch sealed the deal before the referee stepped in to wave it off.
This moment instantly set “ Poatan” viral and cemented Pereira as a top contender in the division. It also set the stage for his meteoric rise to the UFC middleweight title just months later.
After knocking out Strickland, Pereira was fast-tracked to a title shot. Just four months later at UFC 281, he defeated Israel Adesanya via TKO in the fifth round to become the UFC middleweight champion, completing a remarkable feat in only his fourth UFC fight.
Following a rematch loss to Adesanya at UFC 287, Pereira moved up to light-heavyweight and the momentum continued. He claimed the vacant UFC light-heavyweight championship by defeating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295, becoming a rare two-division champion in just seven UFC fights.
He later defended the title successfully against former champ Jamahal Hill and a rematch against Prochazka, then he defended against Khalil Rountree with all three title defences ending via vicious knockouts. However, Pereira would lose the title against Magomed Ankalaev via unanimous decision at UFC 313.
Will Pereira get his light-heavyweight title back before the end of 2025, or will he decide to move up to heavyweight to face the new UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall?
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
