Newly crowned light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira says his spectacular first-round finish of Magomed Ankalaev may have come at a cost: a potentially broken foot.
“It’s my foot, and I’m pretty sure it’s broken,” Pereira told reporters through an interpreter at the post-fight news conference.
Pereira (13–3 MMA, 10–2 UFC) floored Ankalaev (21–2–1, 12–2–1 UFC) with a heavy right hand and sealed the win with a barrage of top-position elbows just 1:20 into Round 1 to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title. Moments after celebrating, he bent down to examine his feet, then arrived at the presser wearing a walking boot.
How it happened (and how it hurt)
Pereira said the damage likely came from a series of inside-calf kicks he used to disrupt Ankalaev’s base an adjustment he credited to studying Jan Błachowicz. After two successful inside kicks, Ankalaev switched stances; Pereira fired again but says he struck the tip of his foot against the lead leg, immediately feeling something was wrong. Despite that, he pressed forward, landed the right hand, and finished with elbows on the mat.
What we know — and don’t
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Suspected injury: Fighter-reported foot fracture; official imaging pending.
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Typical recovery window: Depending on which of the 26 foot bones is involved, timeframes commonly range 6–12 weeks before a full return to high-impact training.
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Visual clues: No obvious injury moment on replay; discomfort only became apparent when Pereira checked his foot post-fight.
“The inside calf kicks were working… then he switched stances and I think I was in the wrong range. I threw another kick to his lead leg, and it landed on the tip of my foot,” Pereira said.
What it means for the timeline
Any next-fight plans will hinge on X-rays/scan results and the Nevada commission’s medical suspensions, which typically post in the days after an event. If a fracture is confirmed, a late-winter return would be realistic; if not, the turnaround could be shorter.
By the numbers
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Result: Pereira def. Ankalaev — TKO (elbows), 1:20 of Round 1
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Setting: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
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Implication: Pereira begins a second reign as UFC light heavyweight champion
Bottom line
Pereira’s performance was near-flawless; the aftermath wasn’t. Until imaging clarifies the extent of the damage, the champion’s immediate future remains tied to the health of a single foot that helped kickstart one of 2025’s most emphatic finishes.
Dana White says Alex Pereira requested a heavyweight move hours before reclaiming 205-lb title
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
