Alex Pereira, or “Poatan“, is widely believed to be fighting Magomed Ankalaev in a rematch for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at some point in the summer.
However, in a very surprising statement that seemingly came out of nowhere, the former 2 x division champion may have fought his last fight in the UFC, per his X account.
https://twitter.com/AlexPereiraUFC/status/1920175533708456134
Poatan Releases Shocking Statement On UFC Future
After Pereira lost his belt to Ankalaev in March by unanimous decision, UFC CEO, Dana White said in the post-fight press conference that the most likely course of action was a rematch between the pair.
And given Poatan’s previous three title defenses – which all came by finish, and in the span of six months – this made sense. Especially considering that he was quickly turning into the promotion’s brightest star in the what is now the presumed post-Conor McGregor era.
But after this statement; which is even more surprising given that Pereira’s willingness to take championship fights on short notice has fostered a strong relationship with White and Chief Business Officer, Hunter Campbell; not only could we not see Pereira fight for the belt, but we many not see him in the again UFC period.
What Happened Between The UFC And Alex Pereira?
As of yet, it is not clear what exactly Pereira means by his words.
“If they want to play with me, we can do that.” Pereira wrote on X, “I’ve never spoken poorly of the UFC but with what I’ve just heard I’m disheartened. I’ve already had thoughts of not fighting anymore, and after what was just relayed to me this may be the start.”
And it is likely that the mysterious air of the message was not helped by the fact that the former Glory Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion is not proficient in the English language, and may well have used Google Translate or his own limited abilities to portray his sentiments.
With the rematch against Ankalaev rumored to be in play for the August pay-per-view card in Chicago, with few apparent roadblocks to making the fight happen, it is strange that there is a dispute between the two parties – particularly since almost all of his previous title fights have come under far more last-minute circumstances.
Perhaps it is a fiduciary issue, with the UFC unwilling to pay the former champion as much as he was making during his championship reign.
Or perhaps the UFC are moving dates and times around and are potentially even looking to bring forward the fight against “Big Ank” as the headliner for International Fight Week at the end of June, where there is still no announced main event.
Alex Pereira Puts His Entire UFC Future In Doubt After Cryptic Announcement