Alex Pereira demands keys to ‘Mecca of Fighting’ Madison Square Garden after three HISTORICAL wins

Madison Square Garden has been very kind to Alex Pereira. He declared it his home after 3-0 record and winning two UFC titles in the stadium.

Alex Pereira demands keys to ‘Mecca of Fighting’ Madison Square Garden after three HISTORICAL wins

Alex Pereira in the Madison Square Garden (MSG) (Source: Twitter)

Brazilian star Alex Pereira captured the vacant light heavyweight title from Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295. Pereira’s win primarily saw some controversies of an early stoppage. However, Prochazk clarified multiple times about the legitimacy of the stoppage after the bout. This became Alex Pereira’s third win at the Madison Square Garden (MSG).

Two of them were title bouts. Originally from Brazil and now a resident of Connecticut, Alex Pereira is an ardent fan of fighting at the Madison Square Garden (MSG). On the topic, this is what ‘Poatan’ said:

It’s my house now. I just need the key. If I could fight here all the time, I would...
Alex Pereira via MMA Junkie.

Pereira, a decorated kickboxer, recently became the latest GLORY Hall of Fame inductee. Poatan is a former UFC middleweight champion. Pereira is now a two-division UFC champion. This shatters Conor McGregor’s previous record of 3 and half years, making him the fastest UFC fighter ever to become a two-division champion from the time of his debut.

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Pereira will face Jamahal Hill for his first title defense. Interestingly, Hill won the title vacated by Pereira’s coach in January but relinquished it after tearing his Achilles tendon in July. Hill had defeated Glover Teixeira, a close friend and training partner of Pereira. Poatan has also additionally shown keen interest in ending his trilogy bout with Israel Adesanya. Nevertheless, Alex Pereira and his record at Madison Square Garden remains something incredible.

Alex Pereira labels Israel Adesanya’s retirement a waste of talent

Alex Pereira feels he has unfinished business with Israel Adesanya. The new UFC light heavyweight champion called for the completion of a trilogy fight with Adesanya after defeating Jiri Prochazka. Pereira stopped Prochazka via TKO in the second round of their fight.

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira Madison Square Garden
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira (Source: Marca)

Conversely, Adesanya is fresh off a title loss at the hands of Sean Strickland. Many considered it one of the biggest upsets in recent UFC history. Reeling from the loss, Adesanya is on a sabbatical. He has put the estimate of his return in 2027. Explaining his callout to Adesanya, yet again, Pereira talked about it at the UFC 295 post-fight presser. He said through a translator:

I meant what I said over there. I think I owe this to Adesanya. He motivated me first, and the whole thing with him staying out all this time until 2027, I think it’s a waste of talent. I think I can bring him back...
Alex Pereira via UFC 295 post-fight press conference

Pereira wants the Adesanya fight partly because he wanted to stay active and thought Jamahal Hill would not be ready for a while. Despite Hill beating his mentor Glover Teixeira earlier this year, there is no personal vendetta between the two.

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