Alex Pereira admits he wasn’t hacked when he had his infamous spat with the UFC.
Earlier this year, Pereira made headlines when he teased a possible retirement after rumors that he might be getting passed over for a light heavyweight title shot in favor of Jiri Prochazka. “Poatan” quickly retraced his comments, claiming he was hacked, but speaking with Ariel Helwani on Wednesday, Pereira admitted the truth.
“A little bit was miscommunication, because Alex found out through social media and stuff like that,” Pereira’s coach and translator, Plinio Cruz, said, speaking for Pereira. “So he was upset, that’s why he sent the [Tweet] but he regretted it. He was wrong because he didn’t know talks that were going on, things that were going on. So it was kind of a miscommunication between camp, manager, and the UFC. Not the UFC’s fault.”
Pereira has been viewed by many as the savior of the UFC over the past few years. The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion fought three times in each of the previous three years, and in 2024, repeatedly came to the UFC’s rescue to headline events. So when rumors began swirling that light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev would instead face Jiri Prochazka, Pereira admits he acted rashly.
“100 percent it was lack of communication,” Cruz said, speaking for Pereira. “It was a little bit impulsive from him. He acted a little early because he didn’t talk to our manager, or find out from Hunter [Campbell]. He saw the internet stuff and he felt a little bit hurt because he was promised the next title shot and he sees that, instead of just having a more mutual communication between camp, Hunter, and everything. So yes, 100 percent, it’s all straight up now.”
Ultimately, Pereira did receive the title shot he was promised and will run things back against Ankalaev at UFC 320 next month. It’s a rematch of their March light heavyweight title fight that Ankalaev edged out to claim the belt. And while the champion has been suggesting that Pereira has ducked this rematch, Pereira clarifies that this is exactly how he wanted things to happen.
“Honestly, after the fight, it was expressed to the UFC that Alex had to heal a few injuries, take some time,” Cruz said for Pereira. “He fought back-to-back multiple times last year. He needed a little break. It was promised for him that he would be the next title challenger. The whole thing with Ankalaev saying he didn’t want to take the fight, Alex knew that he was going to fight regardless, August or October. …
“Honestly, compared to other people, he actually did the normal thing. Some people take a year, some people take two years. But I think people got used to him fighting so frequently that it feels like a long time. But this is a normal span for a guy this level to be fighting every few months like that. But it was very good for him to take his time and recharge.”
UFC 320 takes place on Oct. 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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