A former two-division UFC champion suggests that Alex Pereira's life outside the Octagon may be affecting his performance.
Pereira’s tenure as the light heavyweight champion concluded this past Saturday when he put his title on the line against Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 313 main event.
"Poatan" came out strong, battering his opponent with his signature calf kicks. However, as the fight progressed into the middle rounds, his momentum began to wane. While he couldn’t mount much offense, he showcased impressive takedown defense.
In the final round, Pereira regained his momentum and pushed the pace, but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges, who awarded Ankalaev a unanimous decision victory.
In the buildup to UFC 313, Alex Pereira faced heavy skepticism from UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, who joined some others in doubting his commitment to preparation. "DC" pointed to Pereira’s leisure trips and laid-back social media presence as signs that he wasn’t fully focused on his title defense.
Although the Brazilian fiercely rejected these claims before the fight, insisting he was fully prepared and aware of the challenge, his performance against Ankalaev still lacked the signature explosiveness fans have come to expect.
He appeared uncharacteristically off, and former two-division champion Henry Cejudo believes he knows exactly what may have caused it.
During a recent episode of his Pound 4 Pound Podcast, Cejudo shared his thoughts on the Pereira vs. Ankalaev showdown. He suggested that "Poatan’s" extravagant way of living, among other factors, may have finally caught up with him.
I think Alex Pereira’s lifestyle is finally kind of catching up to him, it's finally catching up to him,” Cejudo said. “The travel, the ‘chama’, the lot of the skits and a lot of stuff that he's actually doing, it's really not doing him any service. His body looked a little different, dude. He looked a little pudgier, he looked a little thicker in the face going in, but then we have to credit Magomed Ankalaev.
Alex Pereira enjoyed a stellar run in 2024, successfully defending his UFC light heavyweight title three times — all by knockout.
The former champion had previously suffered a setback against Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 in April 2023 but rebounded in dominant fashion, moving up a division and racking up an impressive five-fight winning streak.