An epic display of aggression by Alex Pereira helped the Brazilian to his fourth light heavyweight title inside the Delta Center Saturday night.
The man they call “Poatan” withstood a strong start from No. 8 ranked Khalil Rountree Jr., then used his power to wear down Rountree Jr., eventually knocking him out with a left uppercut in Round 4 in front of a raucous crowd sold-out crowd.
Pereira becomes the quickest UFC fighter to defend his title three times, doing so in a 175-day span. Ronda Rousey held the previous record, in 189 days.
For the women’s bantamweight belt, Julianna Pena won by split decision over the prior champion, Raquel Pennington.
Both fighters had their opportunities throughout the fight. Pena put Penningington in a chokehold in Round 3, and Pennington responded by dropping Pena with a right hook in Round 4.
Two judges, Sal D’Amato and Mike Bell, determined Pena won the first three rounds to be a 48-47 winner. Judge Derek Cleary gave Pennington the 3-2 nod, including a Round 1 victory.
