Alex
Pereira didn’t perform up to his usual lofty standards at
UFC
313, but “Poatan” is taking his first light heavyweight defeat
in stride.
Pereira relinquished the 205-pound strap to Magomed
Ankalaev in Saturday’s headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las
Vegas, falling via unanimous decision in an affair where he
struggled to unleash his vaunted striking. After the bout, the
Brazilian released a brief statement in a video on Instagram.
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That’s it, everyone. Some marks, but I’m good,” Pereira said.
“Going to rest a bit. I’ll be back, like I’ve always done. This has
already happened. Life continues.”
It isn’t the first time Pereira has tasted defeat in the Octagon,
as he suffered a second-round knockout loss to Israel
Adesanya in a middleweight title rematch at UFC 287 in April
2023. After that, he move to 205 pounds and won five straight bouts
before falling to Ankalaev.
At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White
indicated that an Ankalaev-Pereira rematch would “probably” be next
at light heavyweight. If that happens, “Poatan” expects to do some
things differently.
“Thank you to my team,” he said. “Gonna make some adjustments for
the rematch, and I’ll be back much better. You can count on it.
Never give up on your dreams. Chama.”