Alex Pereira banked some further coin for saving the day and delivering one other highlight-reel efficiency throughout Saturday’s huge headliner in Las Vegas.
Throughout an look on Monday’s version of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Pereira’s longtime coach Plinio Cruz revealed that CEO Dana White gave Pereira a $303,000 post-fight bonus following his profitable gentle heavyweight title protection at UFC 303.
“He was speaking to Dana within the again, and so they had been speaking a couple of bunch of stuff, and Dana mentioned, ‘As a matter of reality, you gained Efficiency of the Night time.’ And he mentioned, ‘$303,000?’ He goes, ‘No, no, no, $50,000,’” Cruz defined.
”However actuality of the actual 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 somewhat bit salty about that. And I feel due to all their historical past after which taking the battle on two weeks’ [notice], Dana checked out him and mentioned, ‘You already know 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 stepped into the UFC 303 headliner on simply 16 days’ discover after the unique important occasion, Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, was scrapped when the Irishman broke his pinky toe whereas sparring.
It was the second time in a matter of months that ‘Poatan’ has stepped as much as save the day, the final time being at UFC 300 when Pereira put his 205-pound crown on the road in opposition to ex-titleholder Jamahal Hill. Initially, Pereira was negotiating to run it again with Prochazka at UFC 305 on August 17 after they received the decision to step in and headline this yr’s Worldwide Battle Week card.
Might Alex Pereira change into the UFC’s first-ever three-division champion?
Alex Pereira is now 8-1 beneath the UFC banner, incomes wins over a heap of former champions, together with Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Jan Blachowicz, Jamahal Hill, and Jiri Prochazka. He’s simply the ninth fighter within the promotion’s 30+ yr historical past to win belts in two completely different divisions.
Following his spectacular efficiency at UFC 303, it definitely looks like Pereira might discover himself with a shot at doing what no man has executed earlier than — successful belts in three completely different divisions.
“[Pereira] has truly 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 type 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.”
