Alex Pereira didn’t just save UFC 303 following Conor McGregor’s withdrawal from the event; he put on a signature performance and nearly made everyone forget about the absence of the biggest star in the sport.
Pereira’s dependability and otherworldly talent aren’t going unnoticed or unrewarded.
According to Pereira’s trainer, Plinio Cruz, UFC CEO Dana White decided to award Pereira with a special $303,000 bonus for his vicious second-round KO win over Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 303 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Cruz told the story to Ariel Helwani of the MMA Hour on Monday when he appeared as a guest on the program.
Per Cruz, Pereira had to campaign for the bonus backstage with White before the face of the promotion granted his wish. Pereira was a bit upset about not receiving a performance bonus for his KO win over Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC 300.
I wrote about Pereira’s performance being overshadowed by Max Holloway’s you’ll-remember-where-you-were-when KO of Justin Gaethje. The fighters who got bonuses at UFC 300 received $300,000 rather than the usual $50,000 for top performances.
Pereira asked White for a $303,000 bonus, considering his latest winning performance came at UFC 303.
White ultimately obliged the dynamic Brazilian, and his decision makes all the sense in the world. The UFC 303 card was constantly in flux, and McGregor’s withdrawal snatched Michael Chandler off the card.
The original co-main event was supposed to see Hill face Khalil Rountree in a high-stakes bout at 205 pounds that could have positioned the winner for a shot at Pereira–though Poatan had just destroyed Hill earlier this year.
Rountree tested positive for a banned substance and was replaced by Anthony Smith. An injury to Hill forced him out, and he was briefly replaced by Carlos Ulberg. He was replaced by Roman Dolidze, and he and Smith wound up having an awful fight on the main card that the former won by decision.
Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega were supposed to be the new co-main event, but illness forced Ortega out on fight night. Dan Ige stepped up on four-hour notice to fill the gap.
Lopes won, but both men were lauded for their willingness to fight under challenging circumstances.
While all the uncertainty was happening, Pereira and Prochazka were the constants atop the UFC 303 card, and their presence carried tons of value. UFC 303 had the fourth-largest gate in promotion history, even after fans were offered a refund when McGregor pulled out.
It was well worth a hefty bonus for Pereira to not only show up but perform as well as he did in a rematch with a tough fighter who has only lost to him in the UFC.
Magomed Ankalaev is likely Pereira’s next opponent, and it wouldn’t shock me if the latter faced the Russian contender at Noche UFC in the Las Vegas Sphere in September.
What’s next after that? The much-discussed move to heavyweight makes sense if Pereira can defeat Ankalaev.
Many MMA fans dream of a Pereira vs. Jon Jones bout, and if the latter defeats Stipe Miocic in October and Pereira handles Ankalaev, there’s a good chance that a mega event will happen in 2025.
How big would the bonus be for that event? Hopefully, we’ll soon be able to find out.
