"Don’t pull a Volk!" - Fans concerned as Alex Pereira teases insane turnaround time after UFC 300 to defend belt in front of home crowd

The MMA community has responded to Alex Pereira hinting at an extremely quick turnaround between his fights this year.

UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira is scheduled to defend his title against former divisional kingpin Jamahal Hill in the headlining bout of UFC 300 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 13, 2024.

Taking to his YouTube channel, Brazil's Alex Pereira has now suggested that he'll win at UFC 300 and then compete at UFC 301, which takes place at the RioArena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 3, 2024. Pereira's translator explained:

"[Alex] always spoke that he wants to defend the belt in a very fast pace. Now this would be the opportunity, with the cards being so close to each other, for him to be able to defend at UFC 300 and maybe in Rio [at UFC 301]."

He added:

"He said that is a very big possibility, because... if he doesn't get hurt - he has done this before in kickboxing, so... [if] everything goes fine, there's a big chance he'll try to defend the belt very fast."

Watch Alex Pereira address the topic below (8:18):

A number of fans disapproved of Pereira's seemingly ambitious plan and short-notice fights in general. Multiple X users alluded that former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski similarly took a short-notice bout in October 2023 and subsequently suffered dual setbacks.

Netizens indicated that a devastating defeat could commence a downward spiral, warning 'Poatan' against a potential quick turnaround from UFC 300 to UFC 301. Additionally, others predicted that Pereira's plans wouldn't materialize, as Hill would KO him and reclaim the 205-pound title.

One X user criticized Pereira for purportedly evading a fight against Magomed Ankalaev, whereas others advised him to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall at UFC 301. Alternatively, others implied that the 36-year-old Pereira is likely attempting to compete frequently before Father Time catches up. One fan tweeted:

"Don’t pull a Volk! NOOOO!"

Check out the screenshots of a few fan reactions below:

Screenshots of fan reactions

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Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill: A closer look at the recent run of 'Poatan' and 'Sweet Dreams'

In his past three octagon appearances, Alex Pereira has gone 2-1. 'Poatan' lost his MMA rematch against Israel Adesanya via second-round KO (April 2023), losing his UFC middleweight title.

However, Pereira bounced back by beating Jan Błachowicz by split decision (July 2023). Moreover, 'Poatan's' coming off a UFC light heavyweight title-winning performance against Jiri Prochazka, whom he beat via second-round TKO (November 2023).

Meanwhile, Jamahal Hill's latest trio of bouts has witnessed him beat Johnny Walker via first-round KO (February 2022) and Thiago Santos by fourth-round TKO (August 2022).

Furthermore, 'Sweet Dreams' last beat Pereira's friend and training partner, Glover Teixeira, via unanimous decision to capture the UFC light heavyweight title (January 2023). Nevertheless, Hill vacated the title in July 2023 due to an Achilles tendon injury, and it was later captured by Pereira.