Alex Pereira reveals long list of injuries he suffered while preparing to fight Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307
Alex Pereira successfully defended his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 on Oct. 5. With the title challenger revered for his Muay Thai fighting style, fans hoped to see a striking war between the pair, which is exactly what they got.
All three judges awarded Rountree Jr. the opening two rounds, with 'Poatan' rallying in the third and fourth rounds as he secured a brutal TKO finish in Round 4. It was arguably the Brazilian's most competitive clash since moving to light heavyweight, and the bout was awarded the Fight of the Night.
While Pereira did not appear injured during the main event, he revealed a lengthy list of injuries, among other things, that hampered his preparation for UFC 307. The two-division champion appeared in front of the media following the event's conclusion, where he said:
"I went through a lot of stuff that nobody really knows about. I was in Brazil over a month ago, I had some problems with my visa, I was going over to the consulate every single day trying to see if my passport was ready to be picked up."
He continued:
"[Then] I spent about a week in Connecticut, I've been [in Salt Lake] for about three weeks. In that time I was on antibiotics, I had a fever. I had a bad throat, and a lot of things happened. When I was in Brazil I hurt my ribs, it was an injury that I had about a year ago and it came back... Then when I came here my throat was still bad... Also the ligament in my toe that was hurt for UFC 300, that [injury] came back."
Watch Alex Pereira's interview below (2:40):
Alex Pereira eyes some time away from fighting after a busy 2024
Alex Pereira has successfully defended his light heavyweight title three times in a span of seven months, defeating Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and now Khalil Rountree Jr. all via stoppage.
The Brazilian's rise to becoming arguably the most popular active fighter in the UFC is nothing short of remarkable. After a busy 2024, he is eager to take some time to himself.
Pereira was interviewed by ESPN MMA following UFC 307, where he said:
"I think I earned and deserve some rest after this... I want to rest my body, I've got some trips to go to. Going to Mexico, to Malta, to [South] Korea then I'm gonna take some time in Bali just to relax."
Watch Alex Pereira's interview below (5:05):