Former two-division champion Alex Pereira has been the face of the UFC for a while now. From stepping up to save major cards on short notice to keeping the fans entertained with his signature deadpan humor, many would argue he’s one of the only remaining superstars on the roster.
“Poatan” recently stunned fans with a cryptic retirement hint just weeks after losing his light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. While the Brazilian striker has since clarified the post, the internet quickly exploded with reactions.
Fans React to Alex Pereira’s Retirement Scare
Following his first loss at 205 pounds, Pereira had been pushing for an immediate rematch with Ankalaev. Talks were underway for a possible headliner at a summer pay-per-view event in Chicago, but tensions behind the scenes appear to have derailed momentum.
Despite a successful 2024 campaign that included three title defenses—two of which came on short notice—Pereira allegedly felt the UFC hadn’t reciprocated his commitment. That frustration seemingly spilled out this week when a now-deleted message surfaced from his X (formerly Twitter) account.
“I always answered the UFC’s calls, but if they want to play with me, we can do that,” the post read. “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.”
Alex Pereira just hinted at retirement after calling out the UFC for doing him dirty 😳 pic.twitter.com/gSqlcNbTMk
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 7, 2025
The ominous tone sparked immediate retirement rumors. Pereira, however, quickly issued a follow-up video on his Instagram, denying he wrote the post and claiming his account had been hacked.
“I didn’t even know about [the post]. I was hacked. It has been a while since I’ve posted anything [on X], but I was hacked and I’ll resolve it,” Pereira said.
“I have a great relationship with the UFC,” he further clarified. “People like to do bad things.”
🚨 UPDATE: Alex Pereira has now released a video saying that he was HACKED and his tweet about frustrations with the UFC is NOT him pic.twitter.com/IE5i7yYroV
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) May 7, 2025
While the X post was short-lived, the online MMA community didn’t hold back.
One popular comment read, “Big Dana gave him a call.” Another user joked, “In other words: ‘UFC saw the reaction, immediately caved.'” A third said, “It was 100% him lmao.”
A fourth fan commented: “Dana behind the camera with a gun nodding.”
“Dana White sent the black SUVs to his house lmao,” said a fifth.
Some believed him, too.
Bro had us scared for an hour 😭
— Elonov 🇦🇺 (@ElonovMMA) May 7, 2025
I can finally smile again
— UFC White Tiger (@UFCWhiteTiger) May 7, 2025
Ufc fighters just put ufc123 as their password and think they’re safe for life
— . (@TsarukyansTime) May 7, 2025
Despite the humorous reactions, there remains an undercurrent of uncertainty regarding Pereira’s next move.
Alex Pereira’s Meteoric Rise Through the UFC Ranks
Since joining the UFC in 2021, Pereira has carved out one of the most impressive résumés in modern MMA history. After dispatching Andreas Michailidis in his debut, he quickly rose through the middleweight ranks, knocking out Sean Strickland at UFC 276 and dethroning Israel Adesanya at UFC 281.
Though Adesanya avenged that loss at UFC 287, Pereira rebounded by moving up to light heavyweight in 2023. He defeated Jan Błachowicz and then claimed the vacant 205-pound title with a TKO win over Jiří Procházka at UFC 295.
Three title defenses followed in rapid succession—including a spectacular finish at UFC 303, where he stepped in on two weeks’ notice and knocked out Procházka in a rematch.
In doing so, Pereira set the record for the shortest span between three UFC title defenses—just 175 days—and became only the seventh fighter in UFC history to record three defenses in a single year.
That blistering pace and willingness to save cards helped cement Pereira as one of Dana White’s most reliable stars. However, his recent loss to Ankalaev and the resulting fallout suggest not everything is smooth behind the scenes.
With rumors of a summer rematch still lingering and Pereira now claiming no ill will toward the UFC, fans are hoping “Poatan” returns to the Octagon sooner rather than later.