Alex Pereira isn’t happy with the UFC right now and that could mean he doesn’t fight again soon. If ever.
On Wednesday, the former two-division champion shared a cryptic message to social media in which he spoke of an apparent disagreement with the UFC. Pereira didn’t specify exactly what his issue is with the promotion, writing only, “I always answered the UFC’s calls, but if they want to play with me, we can do that. I’ve never spoken poorly of the UFC but with what I’ve just heard I’m disheartened.”
The 37-year-old added, “I’ve already had thoughts of not fighting anymore, and after what was just relayed to me this may be the start.”
See Pereira’s message below.
It’s unclear exactly what prompted the timing and tone of Pereira’s tweet. “Poatan” lost his light heayvweight title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 this past March and fans are yet to hear any fight news regarding Pereira’s next move. An immediate rematch has been discussed, but no announcements have been made.
Prior to the loss to Ankalaev, Pereira was tied to a potential superfight with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis also expressed interest in moving up to 205 pounds to challenge Pereira.
Over the past three years, Pereira has become one of the UFC’s most popular and reliable stars. He committed fully to MMA in 2021 after an illustrious kickboxing career and then chased down longtime rival Israel Adesanya to take his middleweight title at UFC 281. After losing a rematch to Adesanya, Pereira moved up to light heavyweight where he captured a second title and recorded three straight title defenses during a memorable 2024 campaign.
It is not known if Pereira’s issues with the UFC stem from opponent options, timing for his next fight, a pay dispute, or something else entirely.
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