Alex Pereira News

Harry Kettle - September 24, 2025

Alex Pereira has lashed out at Magomed Ankalaev following a close run-in between the two ahead of UFC 320. In the main event of UFC 320, Alex Pereira will challenge Magomed Ankalaev for the UFC light heavyweight championship. It comes after Ankalaev was able to take the title away from ‘Poatan’ earlier this year, with many being left to wonder whether or not the Brazilian would be able to turn his fortunes around in the rematch.

Dylan Bowker - September 23, 2025

Alex Pereira is preparing for a light heavyweight championship rematch with Magomed Ankalaev on October 4th, and a former UFC heavyweight has offered his thoughts on that UFC 320 bout. Martin Buday appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts and touched on this subject after being released from the UFC and announcing he had re-signed with Oktagon MMA. Buday previously fought on Pereira’s undercard at UFC 303 [when ‘Poatan’ finished Jiri Prochazka for the second time], and the former Oktagon MMA heavyweight champion bested Andrei Arlovski. When asked if this UFC 320 rematch will play out largely similar to the first fight between Pereira and Ankalaev, Buday said,

Harry Kettle - September 23, 2025

MMA analyst Dan Hardy has questioned Alex Pereira’s strategy in his first fight against Magomed Ankalaev. In the main event of UFC 320, Alex Pereira will challenge Magomed Ankalaev for the UFC light heavyweight championship. It comes in the wake of their first meeting, in which Ankaalev was able to take the belt away from ‘Poatan’ in a performance that didn’t show the best that the Brazilian had to offer.

Dylan Bowker - September 11, 2025

Alex Pereira does not necessarily see a rubber match down the line with Magomed Ankalaev once the dust settles on their rematch at UFC 320. ‘Poatan’ first fought Ankalaev earlier this year at UFC 313, with the Russian combatant wresting the light heavyweight title from Pereira by way of a unanimous decision in March. It’s a classic scenario in combat sports to have a tiebreaking trilogy bout, if Pereira were to regain the gold in their October 4th sequel clash, but in an interview with MMA Junkie, where a translator from Stake who translated the imparted message from Portuguese to English, Pereira said [via MMA Junkie],

Curtis Calhoun - September 3, 2025

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira admits his critical tweets about the UFC earlier this year were legit. Alex Pereira raised eyebrows earlier this year when he went on an unexpected social media rant expressing frustration about his standing in the UFC light heavyweight title picture. While Pereira ultimately got his desired rematch against Magomed Ankalaev, one of his former rivals was briefly rumored to be an option to be Ankalaev’s first title defense.

Harry Kettle - August 28, 2025

MMA analyst Josh Thomson believes that Anthony Johnson would’ve defeated Alex Pereira in a hypothetical UFC fantasy fight. It’s been almost three years since Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson passed away. The former mixed martial arts star was seen as a trailblazer in many ways in the sport, with his phenomenal power being seen as his greatest weapon. He fought and beat some of the very best throughout the course of his career, and he’ll forever be remembered as one of the greats.

Harry Kettle - August 22, 2025

UFC light heavyweight Zhang Mingyang has questioned Alex Pereira’s motivation ahead of his upcoming rematch at UFC 320. At UFC 320, Alex Pereira will attempt to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight championship. He’ll do so when he challenges Magomed Ankalaev for the belt, the same man who took the title from him. Some believe the rematch will go differently to the first fight, whereas others imagine a similar outcome playing out.

Dylan Bowker - August 14, 2025

Alex Pereira has made demonstrable improvements in his anti-wrestling, but a former UFC veteran still doesn’t think it’s enough to make a Magomed Ankalaev rematch play out any differently than their first fight. Pereira vs. Ankalaev 2 is set for UFC 320 on October 4th, with the former looking to claim light heavyweight gold once again from the man who took it from him. Krzysztof Jotko touched upon this UFC 205 pound championship rematch during an interview on Bowks Talking Bouts ahead of his eventual Oktagon 74 win that saw him advance in the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament. Going through Jotko’s X page circa February 2022, Jotko mentioned then that months prior, he had agreed to fight Pereira, only for ‘Poatan’ to end up fighting Bruno Silva towards the end of 2021.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 7, 2025

If you ask one UFC analyst, Alex Pereira shouldn’t have been booked in a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev. Pereira lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to Ankalaev back in March. Ankalaev forced Pereira to fight while moving backward, which was unfamiliar territory for “Poatan.” The constant pressure from Ankalaev paid dividends, as he was able to secure the unanimous decision victory to obtain UFC gold for the first time in his pro MMA career.

Harry Kettle - July 22, 2025

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has given his thoughts on Alex Pereira potentially moving up to his division. As we know, Tom Aspinall is the new king of the heavyweight division following the retirement of Jon Jones. What we don’t know, though, is who he’s going to face in his next fight. There are a handful of potential contenders in the mix but one that stands out as being pretty intriguing is none other than Alex Pereira.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 13, 2025

A top MMA manager doesn’t believe Alex Pereira would’ve been a UFC champion if Magomed Ankalaev got dibs on a shot first. Pereira reigned as the 205-pound champion with three successful title defenses. After defeating Jiri Prochazka to capture the gold, “Poatan” finished Jamahal Hill, Prochazka a second time, and Khalil Rountree. Pereira’s reign came to an end courtesy of Ankalaev, who had “Poatan” backing up for most of their five-round affair.

Harry Kettle - July 11, 2025

Magomed Ankalaev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz has confirmed plans for a rematch against Alex Pereira later this year. As we know, Magomed Ankalaev is the UFC light heavyweight champion, and he earned that title by defeating Alex Pereira for the strap. We also know that there have been rumors about a reamtch at some point later this year, and it certainly feels like that’s the direction we’re heading in.

Harry Kettle - June 24, 2025

UFC icon Alex Pereira is of the belief that he has fought tougher opponents than Magomed Ankalaev during his combat sports career. As we know, Alex Pereira fell short in his last UFC outing as he lost his UFC light heavyweight championship to Magomed Ankalaev. Ever since then, fans have been questioning when he’s going to get back in the Octagon – but in a very uncharacteristic mood, ‘Poatan’ has decided to take his time before rushing back into what will likely be an immediate rematch.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 19, 2025

Could Alex Pereira miss out on the next UFC light heavyweight title fight? Pereira lost the 205-pound gold to Magomed Ankalaev back in March. “Poatan” struggled dealing with the forward pressure of Ankalaev, leading to a unanimous decision loss. Soon after the fight, a post on Pereira’s social media account surfaced. In the post, the account criticized the UFC, but he has since deleted the post and claimed he was hacked.

Cole Shelton - June 18, 2025

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has shared his prediction for Saturday’s UFC Baku main event. The main event of UFC Baku sees Jamahal Hill taking on Khalil Rountree in a pivotal light heavyweight bout. Both men are looking to get back into the win column, and both were knocked out by Pereira.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 8, 2025

Alex Pereira has responded to Magomed Ankalaev’s constant digs towards him on social media. Pereira lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 back in March. “Poatan” found himself moving backwards throughout the fight, and he ended up losing the gold via unanimous decision. The defeat snapped Pereira’s five-fight winning streak, which included three successful title defenses.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 4, 2025

Alex Pereira will not be retiring despite claims from his recent foe. Pereira last stepped inside the Octagon on March 8 for the main event of UFC 313. “Poatan” was hoping for a successful title defense against Magomed Ankalaev, but it wasn’t meant to be on that night. Ankalaev took the light heavyweight gold via unanimous decision.

Harry Kettle - June 3, 2025

UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev has made an interesting statement about Alex Pereira’s future. For Alex Pereira, it certainly feels like he doesn’t have anything left to prove in mixed martial arts. He has entered the sport and gone straight to the top, winning belts in two different weight classes. However, in the wake of losing the light heavyweight strap to Ankalaev, some have wondered how much longer he’ll compete in the sport for. There are obviously still interesting fights out there for him to take, but that doesn’t mean he necessarily will.