Pereira was on the wrong side of UFC title history once; will that happen again?

It's hard capable to conquer 1 hostile wrong an MMA cage, but Alex Pereira volition person 2 obstacles to flooded successful his effort to regain the UFC airy heavyweight title connected Saturday astatine UFC 320 (ESPN PPV, 10 p.m. ET).

His superior focus, of course, volition beryllium connected champion Magomed Ankalaev, who dethroned Pereira erstwhile they met successful March. The different stumbling artifact Pereira volition beryllium up against is UFC title history.

Ankalaev-Pereira 2 volition beryllium the archetypal bout for some fighters since the loop changed hands, and toppled UFC champions person not fared good successful contiguous rematches. In the 16 specified matchups successful the combat promotion's modern epoch (since November 2000, erstwhile the UFC archetypal utilized the Unified Rules of mixed martial arts), 4 ex-champions person succeeded successful regaining the title.

Pereira mightiness beryllium acquainted with that daunting statistic, due to the fact that helium was a subordinate successful 1 of those 4 triumphant rematches. Then again, possibly helium has tried to hide the nighttime successful April 2023 erstwhile helium was connected the incorrect extremity of the UFC's astir caller ex-champ occurrence story.

Five months aft taking distant the middleweight rubric from Israel Adesanya successful November 2022, Pereira had abundant crushed to beryllium assured going into the rematch. His title-winning knockout astatine UFC 281 had really been his 3rd triumph implicit Adesanya crossed a mates of combat sports. Pereira defeated Adesanya doubly successful kickboxing, including the lone knockout nonaccomplishment of Adesanya's 80-fight kickboxing career.

"I bash cognize however to bushed him," Pereira told reporters done an interpreter successful the leadup to UFC 287. "I bash cognize however helium fights, I bash cognize however helium works. ... I judge that maine beating him this Saturday, I volition ne'er look him again."

Adesanya, for his part, embraced the relation of challenger successful the encore. Ignoring that helium was again the betting favorite, helium knew the fans had seen him get stopped successful the archetypal meeting.

"This fight, I consciousness similar the underdog," helium said during combat week. "I consciousness similar everyone's counting maine out. I consciousness like, due to the fact that of the effect of the past fight, radical are similar goldfish memories. They've forgotten what I've done successful this game. They forgot who I am. And it's clip to punctual radical however large I am."

Adesanya surely reminded Pereira. Late successful Round 2 of a back-and-forth, all-standup battle, portion covering up against the cage arsenic Pereira swarmed him, Adesanya abruptly blasted 2 antagonistic close hands that stopped Pereira successful his tracks. Just erstwhile "The Last Stylebender" appeared to beryllium successful trouble, helium became the trouble. The knockout triumph made Adesanya a champion again, and helium felt similar a caller man.

"Beating me, helium made maine a amended fighter, a amended person," Adesanya said successful his postfight interview, referring to the consecutive Pereira pairings. "In this camp, I didn't f--- around. If you cognize me, you cognize I similar to vacation, but ... I stayed connected the grind and I enactment myself done it."

This play is Pereira's accidental to amusement disconnected what helium took distant from the archetypal Ankalaev fight. Conventional contented going into the archetypal gathering said helium would beryllium successful occupation against Ankalaev's smothering wrestling, but Pereira stuffed each 12 of the Russian's takedown attempts. Conventional contented besides held that a standup combat would beryllium to Pereira's advantage, but Ankalaev got stronger successful the striking exchanges arsenic the combat wore connected and was rewarded with a unanimous determination successful his favor.

What did Pereira larn from the loss? Less than 7 months later, has helium had capable clip to instrumentality the adjustments indispensable to crook the tide successful the rematch? Is his assurance inactive bruised and needing much clip to rejuvenate? Pereira mightiness deliberation helium knows the answers to those questions, but helium doesn't yet. He and the fans volition find retired Saturday.

Ankalaev doesn't cognize the answers, either, but helium said the lone happening that volition alteration successful the rematch is that it volition beryllium an easier triumph for him. Calling the 38-year-old Pereira "too aged to marque important changes," Ankalaev told reporters done an interpreter past Thursday successful Las Vegas, "I don't deliberation adjacent he believes that if helium finds a...