Aljamain Sterling thinks Alex Pereira’s active UFC schedule took a toll on him.
Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) lost his light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in Saturday’s UFC 313 headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Pereira holds the record for shortest time between three UFC title defenses at 175 days. He was one of seven fighters to record three title defenses in a calendar year in 2024. A former champion himself, Sterling said Pereira’s schedule was too taxing on his body.
“Pereira fights way too often,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “Three title defenses in seven months. That is insanity to do that, and it’s not like his fights were pitter-patter fights. You could say that Jamahal Hill one was no damage. OK, cool. I understand that. The Jiri one, he took some damage in that. Then the Khalil Rountree fight was a big fight where he took some good shots.
“You go from that, add on to the fact that he bounces back from these fights and he goes right back into the gym almost one, maybe two weeks later. You compound that with the amount of times that he’s sparring. When does Pereira give himself, his body, and his brain, and his chin a chance to take a break and just recover? I don’t think he gives himself enough time in between fights to give the best version of himself every single time.”
Pereira’s next fight already appears to be lined up with the promotion in favor of an immediate rematch with Ankalaev at a date to be determined.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.
