Locked In! Pereira’s New Eight-Fight Deal Kicks Off With UFC 300

Locked In! Pereira’s New Eight-Fight Deal Kicks Off With UFC 300

Alex Pereira won’t be leaving Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) anytime soon.

The current Light Heavyweight champion of the world ascended to the top of the Middleweight division at record speeds in November 2022. Pereira, 36, made his UFC debut one year earlier and won three fights impressively to earn the bout with his longtime rival, Israel Adesanya.

Another year after the achievement, Pereira claimed 205-pound gold after he dropped his 185-pound crown back to Pereira in early 2023. The stretch was a part of a fresh eight-fight deal after getting through his initial three bouts. “Poatan” is now set to make the first defense of his current title against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024. Upon finalizing the bout, Pereira also landed another set of eight fights.

“Friday I signed, the start of this fight, eight more,” Pereira said on The MMA Hour. “My relationship with the UFC is really good. I’m very grateful by the way the UFC and my management team get together. They’ve been doing great things together. I think the UFC also appreciates who I am because I’m a composed guy, I’m focused, and I deliver.

“When I first joined the UFC, they gave me three fights,” he continued. “After the first fight, they renewed me for eight, Dana did after the [Sean] Strickland fight. Now, they just gave me another eight and of course, I bring [things] to the table, too. They’re happy with that but they’re very good with us, too, so, we cannot complain. We’re in a perfect relationship.”

Pereira has gotten back on a winning streak (9-2 overall) since his first and only UFC loss to the aforementioned Adesanya. His recent two wins came over two former Light Heavyweight champions, Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka, first via a split decision before a second round technical knockout (watch highlights) to make further history.