Alex Pereira received just a little one thing additional for saving the day at UFC 303.
That’s in line with Pereira’s longtime coach Plinio Cruz, who revealed Monday on The MMA Hour that UFC CEO Dana White gave Pereira a $303,000 post-fight bonus following his profitable gentle heavyweight title protection at UFC 303. Pereira knocked out Jiri Prochazka with a brutal second-round head kick after accepting the bout on simply two weeks’ discover following the withdrawal of unique headliner Conor McGregor because of harm.
“He was speaking to Dana within the again, and so they have been speaking a few bunch of stuff, and Dana mentioned, ‘As a matter of reality, you received Efficiency of the Night time.’ And he mentioned, ‘$303,000?’ He goes, ‘No, no, no, $50,000,’” Cruz defined Monday on The MMA Hour.
”However actuality of the very fact is, he didn’t — they gave $300,000 bonuses for [UFC] 300 and [Pereira] didn’t get Efficiency of the Night time. They gave two to Max [Holloway], so he was just a little bit salty about that. And I believe due to all their historical past after which taking the battle on two weeks’ [notice], Dana checked out him and mentioned, ‘You realize what, man? I’m going to maintain you. You’ve received the $303,000.’ He even joked, he mentioned purchase a supercar with that cash. [Pereira] goes, ‘I’ve received sufficient supercars.’ He desires a Cybertruck.”
Pereira, 36, has now saved the day for UFC twice in a span of three months, having additionally defeated Jamahal Hill within the short-notice major occasion of UFC 300 on April 13 to salvage the promotion’s well-documented efforts to discover a appropriate headliner for the tricentennial card.
But when the saga of UFC 300 was already a roller-coaster, UFC 303 might as effectively have been the Formulation Rossa.
Cruz mentioned Pereira was nonetheless within the negotiation phases for a rematch towards Prochazka on Aug. 17 at UFC 305 when promotion officers first broached the group about the potential of filling in for McGregor. Cruz admitted he was initially towards the thought and instructed as a lot to Pereira, nonetheless “Poatan” was prepared to simply accept immediately. By the next morning, all particulars have been ironed out and the impromptu title rematch had been made official.
Pereira beforehand defeated Prochazka by way of second-round TKO in November 2023 to seize the vacant gentle heavyweight belt, and Cruz mentioned he anticipated an extended battle the second time round. That may’ve occurred, too, if it wasn’t for some last-second movie research.
“Alex is a significantly better standup fighter than Prochazka is, so we wished to be affected person,” Cruz mentioned. “I instructed him, ‘Bro, let’s simply take the primary two rounds straightforward, let’s tempo ourselves.’ As a result of Jiri, the longer the battle goes, he tends to let just a little little bit of his stage of self-discipline decrease and he begins to throw stuff, he begins to get just a little extra dangerous, he takes possibilities.
“And our recreation [plan] till the battle evening was principally going over there, really feel [out] the primary two rounds, and push the tempo because the battle goes, particularly if Prochazka was going to possibly attempt to do a grappling match. We knew that none of them will be capable to grind for 5 rounds, as a result of it was week two of the camp, so the longer the battle goes, that’ll profit Alex. After which it occurred, that factor within the locker room.”
That factor within the locker room, as Cruz framed it, has already been etched into Pereira lore.
Each Pereira and Cruz revealed post-fight that they seen the opening for the fight-ending head kick by scrolling Instagram within the locker room earlier than the bout. UFC’s social media group posted clips of each fighters warming up, and Pereira’s instantly group noticed the opening in Prochazka’s recreation plan. Cruz mentioned the adjustment was made lower than 20 minutes earlier than Pereira’s walkout. In the long run, the champ’s pre-fight audible labored to perfection.
That locker room footage of Prochazka additionally stood in stark distinction to the vibe Pereira’s group offered of their clip, which confirmed Pereira and his group casually line dancing.
Cruz suspects Pereira’s nonchalant but remarkably targeted demeanor all through battle week might have performed methods on Prochazka’s head, particularly after Prochazka made some extent to accuse Pereira of training “black magic” earlier than their first bout at UFC 295.
“The dance was a magical ritual. That was doing witchcraft proper earlier than earlier than the battle,” Cruz mentioned, laughing. “Man, I believe he received just a little bit in his head. You realize what I imply? Alex has his indigenous background from his mother and father. He likes to honor it and I respect him rather a lot that he honors the the tradition of his folks, and I assist him to try this, I’m a giant supporter.
“I believe that Jiri by some means may’ve received in his personal head if he’s calling indigenous stuff as witchcraft and no matter. However that simply performed extra on our facet. That simply helped him.”
“[Pereira] has really a really particular imaginative and prescient [when it comes to] timing, distance, and the angles in the way in which that he [approaches his craft],” Cruz added. “It’s nearly like he has his personal model of preventing. He simply combines his boxing and the kickboxing, and the way in which that he simply implements [everything] is simply gentle years forward, the imaginative and prescient that he has [for] the sport.”
