Alex Pereira makes history at Madison Square during UFC 295

UFC made its way back to the Garden putting on two title fights featuring the big boy divisions heavyweight and light heavyweight. In the main event Alex Pereira (9-2) made history becoming the 9th two division champion in history and accomplishing this in only 11 fights. Pereira beat his long time rival Israel Adesanya for the middleweight championship only to lose it some months later. After losing his middleweight belt Periera moved up to light heavyweight. 

The light heavyweight division has been influx the last two years with champions having to vacate the belt due to injuries. Tonight Pereria faced off against Jiri Prochazka who was the former light heavyweight belt holder until a shoulder injury took him out of action for nearly two years. The shoulder injury allowed for Jahmal Hill to become the new champion until an achilles injury caused him to vacate the belt. The belt is vacant no more as Pereira put on a brilliant display of leg kicks and striking to become the new belt holder.

The new champion was able to land vicious leg kick after vicious leg kick that threw off his challenger's balance. However Prochazka was able to survive with some quality takedowns in the first round. In the second round it was the sudden but quick strikes of Pereira that allowed him to claim victory. Pereria was able to land a stiff hook that buckled the former champ Prochaza the follow up was a few series of sharp elbows that made Prochaza fall. The controversy ensued when the referee jumped in to stop the fight which looked like a premature stoppage. However Prochaza said it was an appropriate stoppage. 

After the fight the new champion called out an old foe in Israel Adesanya to move up to fight him at 205. Meanwhile former champion who had to vacate his belt tonight Jahmal Hill barked at Pereira to fight him instead. So we’ll see how that ends up. The co-main event saw the UFC crown a new interim heavyweight champion in Tom Aspinal(14-3).

Aspinal made short work of Sergei Pavlovic(19-2). Aspinal knocked Pavlovic out cold in the early stages of the first round. The UFC heavyweight division is another division in influx after champion Jon Jones tore his pectoral muscle and will be on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Jones was on a collision course with former champion and future hall of famer Stipe Miocic. With the injury to Jones that fight hangs in the balance. Now the question is once Jones fully heals will he fight Aspinal to unify the division? UFC 300 maybe the next time we see Jones in the ring if at all.