Alex Pereira Defeats Magomed Ankalaev in Rematch to Reclaim UFC Light Heavyweight Title

Posted on October 5, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Alex Pereira has reclaimed his UFC light heavyweight title….

In his immediate rematch with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 on Saturday, the 38-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former professional kickboxer (14-3) reclaimed the 205-pound championship in dominant fashion, finishing his opponent (21-2-1) with strikes on the ground just 80 seconds into the opening round.

It was a stunning reversal from what happened seven months aearlier, when Pereira appeared hesitant in what was his first loss at light heavyweight.

On Saturday, he burst out of his corner at the start of the fight and put away Ankalaev while hardly absorbing any strikes.

It was the quickest finish of Pereira’s MMA career and the second-quickest title fight in UFC light heavyweight history, behind Vitor Belfort‘s 49-second win over Randy Couture in 2004.

It was the first knockout loss of Ankalaev’s career and snapped a 14-fight unbeaten streak.

“Vengeance is never a good thing; it’s kind of a poison sometimes,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “I told everyone I was not in a good condition last time. Everyone saw that tonight.”

During UFC 320 fight week, Pereira’s team told ESPN that he fought Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March with a fractured tibia. He was also sick and had been placed on antibiotics in the weeks leading up to the event. Because of those circumstances, Pereira estimated he was only at 40% of his capacity that night.

He looked very much at 100% Saturday. Pereira asserted himself in the center of the Octagon and walked Ankalaev down with strikes. Pereira hurt him early with a right hand to the chin and eventually finished the bout with elbow strikes from top position. Pereira had a 28-4 edge over Ankalaev in total strikes.

Immediately after the bout, Pereira stood over Ankalaev and made the same taunting gesture he used after knocking out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April 2024. There had been some animosity in the buildup to UFC 320, as Pereira accused Ankalaev of hiding from him during fight week and lying about Pereira not wanting a rematch.

Pereira picked up the 12th knockout of his MMA career, and he became the third two-time light heavyweight champion in UFC history. He shares that distinction with Couture and Jon Jones.

Alex Pereira to Fight Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 in Highly Anticipated Rematch

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Alex Pereira is hoping to reclaim his throne…

The 38-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former professional kickboxer, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, will fight Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 on October 4 in Las Vegas.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the immediate 205-pound title rematch via social media on Tuesday.

The UFC 320 pay-per-view event will take place inside T-Mobile Arena.

Pereira (12-3), a former multiweight kickboxing champion as well as UFC middleweight champion, turned into one of the sport’s biggest stars in 2024, but he surrendered his belt in a decision loss to Ankalaev (21-1-1) at UFC 313 in March.

Pereira is considered one of the most decorated combat sports athletes of all time, and he was a near-consensus pick for 2024 Fighter of the Year with knockouts of Jamahal Hill, JiYí Procházka and Khalil Rountree Jr.

Ankalaev, of Dagestan, will likely be favored to beat him a second time, however. The 33-year-old is unbeaten in his past 13 appearances.

In addition to the main event, White announced a bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili (20-4) and Cory Sandhagen (18-5) as the co-main event.

Dvalishvili will be seeking his third title defense this year, adding to victories over Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley. Sandhagen will be vying for his first undisputed UFC championship. He lost to Petr Yan in an interim title bout in 2021.

Light heavyweight contenders Procházka (31-5-1) and Rountree (14-6) will also clash on the UFC 320 main card.

Canelo Alvarez Routs Edgar Berlanga By Unanimous Decision to Retain Unified Super Middleweight Championship

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Canelo Alvarez is keeping his unified champion title…

The 34-year-old Mexican professional boxer, the sport’s top star, has retained his unified super middleweight championship after a unanimous decision victory over Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Alvarez floored Berlanga with a monstrous left hook — his money punch — in Round 3 and prevailed via scores of 117-110, 118-109 and 118-109. ESPN scored it a 120-107 shutout.

This was the fifth consecutive decision victory for Alvarez, who hasn’t scored a knockout win since he defeated Caleb Plant in November 2021. It’s also the fourth consecutive bout where Alvarez scored a knockdown.

“Now what are they gonna say?” Alvarez said during his postfight interview. “I fight younger fighters. They say I fight older fighters. They always talk. … My experience, my talent, my hard work, my intelligence, everything together [makes me the best]. If you have talent but you don’t have discipline, you have nothing.”

Alvarez, ESPN‘s No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer, is an all-time great. Berlanga, meanwhile, was fighting on the world-class level for the first time. Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) was a -1600 favorite, per ESPN BET, and a -250 favorite to earn the win inside the distance.

However, Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) rarely threw a power punch, clearly wary of presenting a counter-punching opportunity for one of the sport’s best at capitalizing on such openings. Following the knockdown, as Berlanga sat on the canvas and banged his gloves together, he entered survival mode.

Alvarez pressed forward and tried to close distance as Berlanga pumped his jab from out of range. While Berlanga was rugged on the inside and showed some toughness, he clearly wasn’t willing to sell out and risk becoming a knockout victim.

“I’m upset,” Berlanga said. “I fought a legend tonight. Hopefully this is the start today of me becoming a future legend. … I took his best shot, I believe, in the third round.”

The Brooklynite of Puerto Rican heritage began his career with 16 first-round knockouts, but as he stepped up in competition, his power dissipated.

Berlanga, 27, entered his first title shot on the heels of a sixth-round knockout victory over Padraig McCrory in February.

Alvarez, naturally, is several levels above such an opponent, and his wealth of experience showed. He was the far more comfortable fighter, though he was frustrated on occasion by Berlanga’s roughhouse tactics, as referee Harvey Dock warned the pair numerous times.

“Fighters like to throw each other off their games,” Berlanga said.

Alvarez was once again headlining on Mexican Independence Day weekend, one of two boxing holidays reserved for the sport’s top attraction. He wasn’t ready to discuss whom he wants to face when he eventually returns on Cinco De Mayo weekend.

In the lead-up to the bout, Alvarez told ESPN on Wednesday that he was interested in a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who defeated him in May 2022 at 175 pounds. That’s provided that Bivol beats Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light heavyweight championship Oct. 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Another option was ringside: Terence Crawford, the future Hall of Famer who remains undefeated. He made his 154-pound debut last month with a win over Israil Madrimov and told ESPN on Thursday that he would like to fight Alvarez at the full-fledged 168-pound limit with no rehydration clause.

“I think it would tell the No. 1 guy of this era in the post-Mayweather era, who’s the king of kings,” Crawford said.

Whomever Alvarez fights next, he will still be in search of his first knockout victory since November 2021, though he hasn’t lost many rounds in the process.

Alvarez said: “I’m the best fighter in the world.”

Canelo Alvarez Finalizing Deal to Defend Super Middleweight Title Against Edgar Berlanga

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Canelo Alvarez is lining up his next opponent.

The 34-year-old Mexican professional boxer, the sport’s top star, is finalizing a deal for a super middleweight championship defense versus Edgar Berlanga on September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, per ESPN sources.

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) is the undisputed champion at 168 pounds, but it’s possible the IBF title won’t be on the line as his mandatory defense is overdue, sources said.

Canelo-Berlanga will go head-to-head with UFC 306 — the first sporting event to be held at the Sphere, a revolutionary venue that opened in Las Vegas last September.

Alvarez, 34, is ESPN‘s No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer. The all-time great has also collected titles at 154, 160 and 175 pounds. He hasn’t scored a knockout since his win over Caleb Plant in November 2021, but he has scored knockdowns in each of his last three victories.

He’s won four consecutive bouts since a decision defeat to Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight in May 2022.

Alvarez will be installed as a major favorite against Berlanga, who has never challenged for a world title nor competed on the world-class level.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) is a 27-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, of Puerto Rican descent. He’s coming off a sixth-round KO of Padraig McCrory in February. The brash fighter started his career with 16 first-round KOs, but his next five opponents lasted the distance as his competition stiffened.

Mexican Independence Day weekend has long been one of two holidays reserved for Alvarez (along with Cinco De Mayo weekend), a tradition that was held by Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya before him.

Alvarez missed his preferred Mexican Independence Day weekend fight last year when he defeated Jermell Charlo in late September, but now returns to the holiday he has headlined six times.

PBC will lead the event on Prime Video PPV with Matchroom Boxing involved as Berlanga’s promoter, sources said. The PPV will also be available on DAZN, Matchroom‘s streaming partner.

It will be Canelo’s third consecutive fight with PBC.

Alex Pereira Knocks Out Jirí Prochazka to Retain UFC Light Heavyweight Title

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alex Pereira has struck again…

The 36-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) scored a vicious second-round knockout of Jirí Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with a devastating head kick and brutal follow-up strikes to retain his light heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena.

The rematch between the two, who met last November with Pereira winning by second-round TKO, happened a lot sooner than expected as both were called to action on two weeks’ notice after Conor McGregor was forced out of his main event showdown with Michael Chandler because of a broken toe.

Both fighters had competed at UFC 300 and pulled off impressive knockout victories in their respective fights, with Prochazka taking out Aleksandar Rakic and Pereira impressively dispatching Jamahal Hill in defense of his title.

Both left with little damage, but a pair of broken toes was the only thing in the way of Pereira accepting the fight.

As it turns out, those broken toes would connect on the head of Prochazka in the rematch and put an end to the rivalry.

“I didn’t know how I was going to win, but I knew I was going to leave this Octagon happy,” Pereira said through an interpreter.

The fight was a striker’s paradise in the opening round, with Pereira landing leg kicks and Prochazka finding success with the left hook and using his awkward movement to create openings. But Prochazka played too close to the sun and ran into Pereira’s trademark left hook, which sent him crashing to the canvas at the end of the round. Although he tried to show he was unharmed, Prochazka’s legs said otherwise as he stumbled to his corner.

Pereira smelled the blood in the water and wasted little time finishing the job. He opened the second round by uncorking a violent head kick that sent the Czech fighter to the canvas again. But this time there would be no bell to save him as Pereira’s follow-up strikes finished the job just 13 seconds into the round.

What Pereira has been able to accomplish in two short years is nothing short of outstanding. He captured the UFC middleweight championship in just over a year after his promotional debut by knocking out Israel Adesanya and added the light heavyweight title a year after that when he stopped Prochazka.

With another successful defense under his belt, could Pereira chase an unprecedented championship in a third weight class at heavyweight?

“I think that’s in my future,” Pereira said. “I say it a lot. I’m here, I’m available and I think that’s in my future.”

A fight with current heavyweight champion Jon Jones might be the biggest fight that can be made in the UFC at the moment, and it’s clear that Pereira wants to continue to do the unthinkable during his remarkable run. But with Jones slated to face Stipe Miocic later this year, a fight with Pereira might have to wait.

For now, the MMA world is in the palm of his hand.

Canelo Álvarez Defeats Jaime Munguía by Unanimous Decision to Retain Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez is celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a win…

The 33-year-old Mexican professional boxer, one of the sport’s biggest stars, defeated Jaime Munguía in an all-Mexican battle on Cinco de Mayo weekend before 17,492 at T-Mobile Arena to retain his undisputed super middleweight championship.

The boisterous, surprising support for Munguia was swiftly extinguished with a patented Alvarez combination, a left hook followed by a right uppercut that planted the challenger on the canvas for the first knockdown of his 44-fight career.

Alvarez’s fourth successful defense of his four 168-pound titles was made official via scores of 115-113, 117-110 and 116-111. This was the third consecutive fight that Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) scored a knockdown. He also dropped Jermell Charlo and John Ryder in decision wins last year.

“I’m very proud that all the Mexicans are here watching us,” Alvarez, ESPN‘s No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer, said. “… He’s a great fighter. He’s strong, he’s smart. … But he’s a little slow. I can see every punch. Sometimes he got me because I get so confident. … I did really good and I feel proud about it. … I’m the best fighter right now for sure.”

Munguia, the former junior middleweight titleholder, was competing on the elite level of the sport for the first time. And he no doubt acquitted himself well. The 27-year-old from Tijuana fought with passion and showed an improved jab in his second fight with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

The pressure and aggression of Munguia was effective over the first two rounds, but Alvarez eventually timed his opponent, as he usually does. “I take my time,” Alvarez said. “That’s why I have a lot of experience. … I have 12 rounds to win the fight and I did.”

Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) won three rounds unanimously: the opening frame along with Rounds 3 and 9. He boxed well, but his punches never appeared to have enough pop to gain Alvarez’s respect.

Àlvarez has typically turned Cinco de Mayo weekend into a marquee attraction in the boxing world. He’s used the date as the platform for his wins over John Ryder, Billy Joe Saunders and Daniel Jacobs in recent years.

It was also the date for his loss to Dmitry Bivol in 2022.

Another strong performance from Àlvarez is good for the star and it’s good for the sport of boxing. He remains one of the sport’s biggest draws and there are still some big fights to make for him.

Specificially, a rematch with Bivol would be one of the biggest fights the sport could make right now.

However, there could be other matters for him to attend to in his current weight class that would prevent a move up.

The WBA recently named Edgar Berlanga a mandatory challenger.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) would be a viable candidate to see Canelo next, but there’s more money to be made with a potential matchup against rising star David Benavidez or a rematch with Bivol.

Àlvarez recently noted that he’s open to a fight with Benavidez in an appearance on First Take with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

“We’ll see, why not? If the money is correct, why not? I can fight him Saturday night, too,” Álvarez said in the lead-up to this bout.

Regardless of who winds up being next, it’s clear that Canelo can still be the king of his division right now.

Alex Pereira Retains UFC Light Heavyweight Title with First Round Knockout of Jamahal Hill

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alex Pereira is keeping his title…

The 36-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer knocked out former champ Jamahal Hill on Saturday to retain the UFC light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 300 — one of the biggest events in promotion history — at T-Mobile Arena.

The finish came at 3 minutes, 14 seconds of the first round after one of Pereira’s trademark left hooks.

The finish will live on highlight reels forever.

Hill kicked Pereira low, prompting referee Herb Dean to step in and try to pause the fight. Pereira held up his right hand, stopping the official from intervening. Pereira then blasted Hill with the left hook and followed with violent punches on the ground.

“I was gauging the distance and timing,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “Everything went perfect.”

Pereira said the groin kick hurt him a little, but he was just starting to figure out that distance and didn’t want to have to reset if the bout was paused. UFC CEO Dana White lauded Pereira not only for the performance but also the style points he gained for how it ended.

“He got hit in the groin,” White said. “He was like, ‘Nuh uh,’ [to Dean] and then knocks [Hill] out. … That was incredibly gangster.”

Pereira landed 24 of 30 significant strikes, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

He has landed 63% of his significant strikes in UFC, which is the fourth-best mark in the promotion’s history. Pereira has eight knockouts in 10 career wins.

Hill relinquished the title last summer after rupturing his left Achilles tendon in a pickup basketball game. Pereira won the vacant belt by knocking out former champ Jiří Procházka in November at UFC 295 in New York.

Coming in, ESPN had Pereira ranked No. 3 in its pound-for-pound rankings.

Afterward, Pereira said he wanted to get right back in the Octagon and fight at UFC 301 on May 4 in his native Brazil. Pereira said he would like to do so at heavyweight, which would be his third weight class in UFC.

“I want this fight,” Pereira said. “I’m not hurt. Nothing happened.”

That wasn’t completely true. White said Pereira suffered a broken toe while training for the fight.

“I had to just push through,” Pereira said.

White said Pereira should probably pump the brakes on a move up in weight.

“The heavyweight division is nasty,” White said. “I don’t know if that’s the right move for him. He looked damn good tonight in the division he’s in.”

Pereira (10-2) is the quickest fighter to win two UFC titles in two divisions (seven fights). The Connecticut resident knocked out Israel Adesanya to win the UFC middleweight title in 2022 before dropping the title back to Adesanya last year.

Pereira is a former two-division champion in Glory Kickboxing and a Hall of Famer in that promotion.

Hill (12-1, 1 NC) had won four straight coming in. The Chicago native, who fights out of Michigan, beat Glover Teixeira, Pereira’s coach and training partner, to win the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 283 in January 2023. Hill, 32, was the first Dana White’s Contender Series alum to win a UFC championship.

“I don’t let this belt go to my head,” Pereira said. “I have to go in here and win this belt every time to be champion.”

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz Overpowers & Dethrones WBA Super Lightweight Champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero

Posted on March 31, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz has claimed his first major title…

The 25-year-old Mexican professional boxer (26-2-1, 18 KOs) overpowered and dethroned WBA super lightweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) after getting an eighth round referee’s stoppage on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Cruz set the tone early, with wild overhand rights that whistled by the head of Romero.

Then Cruz put on a masterclass in stalking and cutting off the ring against Romero.

Finally, Cruz completed his beatdown of Romero with at least six straight shots to the head, forcing referee Tom Taylor to stop the fight at 56 seconds of the eighth round.

With the win, Cruz took Romero’s WBA junior welterweight world title on the co-main event of a card headlined by a junior middleweight title fight between Tim Tszyu and Sebastian Fundora.

“I didn’t want to come here and just win,” said Cruz. “I wanted to massacre Rolly and make him eat all the garbage he said to me. …I fought with the intention to leave the decision out of the judges’ hands.”

Mission accomplished.

The relentless Cruz so dominated the fight that Romero had to be checked by the ringside doctor before heading out for the fateful eighth round. Romero almost went down in the first round after taking a left hook to the forehead, was docked a point for holding in the fifth and was again saved by the ropes in the seventh after taking a big right uppercut to the chin that essentially had him out on his feet.

Cruz has now won four straight fights since losing a unanimous decision to Gervonta Davis on December 5, 2021 in Los Angeles.

“I was prepared for this. I wasn’t here to just fight. I was here to terminate him,” said Cruz. “I did my talking right here in the ring. And I did this not just for me but for everybody that is here at T-Mobile Arena. There’s going to be a Mexican champ at 140 pounds for a long time.”

The taller Romero, who fights out of Las Vegas but felt no home-ring advantage with a raucous pro-Mexico crowd, fell to 15-2 as he has now lost two of this last three fights.

He lost by a sixth-round TKO against Davis on May 28, 2022 in Brooklyn for the WBA’s lightweight title before stopping Ismael Barroso for the WBA’s junior welterweight title on May 13, 2023 in Las Vegas. He never looked comfortable with the way Cruz cut the ring off on him, while absorbing so many power shots.

Canelo Alvarez to Fight Jaime Munguia in Las Vegas in May

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

May the Fourth be wih Canelo Alvarez.

The 33-year-old Mexican boxing superstar has finalized a deal to fight Jaime Munguia on May 4 fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight championship.

It’s a one-fight deal for Alvarez and Premier Boxing Champions, sources said, after the sides parted ways last week with two bouts remaining on a three-fight agreement signed last June.

It’s a coup for PBC to welcome Alvarez, boxing’s top star, back into the fold for its second pay-per-view offering as part of its new partnership with Amazon‘s Prime Video.

DAZN, the streaming service that has an exclusive deal with Golden Boy Promotions, will also carry the event.

Munguia’s past 12 fights were streamed by DAZN. The 27-year-old Mexican fighter has been co-promoted by Zanfer and Golden Boy.

“On May 4, I’ll be fighting Jaime Munguia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas,” Alvarez posted on social media. “Mexico vs. Mexico!”

Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) is coming off a career-best win, a ninth-round TKO of John Ryder in January. He has steadily improved under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Now, Munguia will represent Alvarez’s first Mexican opponent since Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2017. Munguia is rated No. 4 by ESPN at 168 pounds.

Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer, was lined up for a championship defense against Jermall Charlo in May. However, Alvarez and PBC couldn’t agree to terms for the matchup, which contractually allowed him to explore other options.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) discussed a return to DAZN for bouts with Munguia and Edgar Berlanga this year, but when those talks stalled the champion returned to the table with PBC, sources said.

Alvarez plans to fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend in September as well.

Alvarez defeated Jermall’s twin brother, Jermell Charlo, via unanimous decision in September to retain his undisputed super middleweight championship as he kicked off the PBC partnership.

When the deal was signed in June, Jermall Charlo was lined up as the first opponent before he ultimately withdrew because of personal matters. Jermell stepped in, while Jermall and Errol Spence Jr. loomed as possibilities for the second and third bouts of the deal. That was before Spence was TKO’d by Terence Crawford in a one-sided beatdown in July, eliminating one viable opponent for Alvarez.

Then in November, Jermall failed to impress in a decision win against Jose Benavidez Jr. The bout was Charlo’s first in 29 months. It’s a big event any time Alvarez fights, but there was little commercial demand for a matchup with another Charlo after Jermell’s listless performance in September.

With an Alvarez-Charlo fight less appealing for May, the door opened for what promises to be a far more lucrative matchup with Munguia. Alvarez has been the sport’s top attraction since Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired in 2017.

The all-time great’s résumé includes a pair of wins over Gennadiy Golovkin and titles in four weight classes. His win over Charlo was preceded by a decision victory over Ryder in May in Mexico. Alvarez scored knockdowns in both fights.

The biggest potential fight out there for Alvarez remains a matchup against rising star David Benavidez.

“The reason why this fight is not happening is because Alvarez doesn’t want it to happen, plain and simple,” David Benavidez told ESPN last week.

PBC’s stable also includes star boxer Gervonta Davis, who is set to return vs. Frank Martin this summer. PBC’s first event with Prime Video will take place March 30 in Las Vegas, a pay-per-view headlined by Keith Thurman vs. Tim Tszyu.

Emanuel Navarrete Retains WBO Junior Lightweight Title with Majority Draw Over Robson Conceicao

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Emanuel Navarrete has retained his WBO junior lightweight title.

The 28-year-old Mexican boxer floored Robson Conceicao twice but settled for a majority draw in his title defense bout on Thursday at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) dropped Conceicao in Round 4 and again in Round 7.

He was on the verge of stopping the challenger in the penultimate round as the referee inched closer to the action, but Conceicao never wilted.

Conceicao, an Olympic gold medalist from Brazil, won the final round on all three scorecards to avoid defeat in his third challenge and likely earn a rematch.

One judge scored the 130-pound title bout 114-112 for Navarrete but was overruled by two 113-113 tallies.

“I’m happy to come away with the belt,” Navarrete, ESPN‘s No. 1 boxer at 130 pounds, said through an interpreter. “We both did what we said we were going to do. … He’s a tremendous fighter. His technique is next level, and that’s what it makes it so hard.

“If it’s up to me, I would definitely give Robson a rematch because he definitely deserves it.”

Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KOs) dropped Conceicao in the fourth with a right hand to the temple and then knocked him down again three rounds later with a right hand to the body.

Conceicao (17-2-1, 8 KOs) was happy to stay in the pocket, though, regardless of the power disparity. He jabbed and moved and connected on combinations while Navarrete swarmed him with his patented awkward angles.

With both eyes swollen, Conceicao saved his best for the final round as he took the fight to the champion.

“I think we both deserve a rematch,” Conceicao, ESPN’s No. 7 junior lightweight, said through an interpreter. “I proved what I’m capable of. I give ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete a lot of credit. He’s a powerful fighter, but I know what I did tonight. I deserved the victory.”

If it weren’t for the two knockdowns, Conceicao, 35, would have earned the win. But instead, he likely earned a rematch with a career-best performance.

His first two title shots didn’t come on an even playing field. When he challenged Oscar Valdez in 2021, he did so weeks after Valdez tested positive for a banned substance but was allowed to compete. Conceicao settled for a controversial decision loss.

One year later, Conceicao challenged Shakur Stevenson for a title, but Stevenson weighed in over the 130-pound limit and cruised to victory.

Navarrete, meanwhile, was coming off a win over Valdez in August in his first title defense. The 28-year-old also won titles at 122 and 126 pounds.

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