‘Disheartened’ Alex Pereira lashes out at UFC and threatens to retire from MMA

UPDATE: Alex Pereira now claims he was “hacked,” and that his relationship with the UFC is “great.” Get caught up on this crazy ordeal HERE.

If you thought Alex Pereira and the UFC were on good terms, think again.

Pereira, a former Glory kickboxing champion, is also former middleweight and light heavyweight champion in the UFC. He is one of the most popular fighters on the promotion’s roster today — even after losing his light heavyweight belt to Magomed Ankalaev with a close decision in his last fight. He has also seemed to be a favorite of UFC executives. After all, he has stepped up to headline several major pay-per-views on relatively short notice, most notably UFC 300 and 303 last year.

It seems his relationship with the promotion is not as rosy as we previously thought.

On Tuesday morning, Pereira took to X with a heated message for the UFC. It seems he heard something from the promotion that he didn’t like. In fact, he is disappointed enough that he is actually considering ending his illustrious combat sports career.

I always answered the UFC’s calls, but if they want to play with me, we can do that. 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 “Poatan” Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) May 7, 2025

“I always answered the UFC’s calls, but if they want to play with me, we can do that,” Pereira wrote. “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.”

Will Alex Pereira actually retire amid UFC beef?

Fans were quick to express their disbelief and disappointment about this remark from Alex Pereira.

“Please tell me he was hacked,” one fan wrote in response to the post.

“For the love of God please don’t leave the sport we need champions like you,” another fan wrote.

Alex Pereira is 37 years old, and has a host of championship belts in his trophy case. He has earned the right to retire whenever he desires. That said, there is no question it would be a massive blow to the sport and the UFC if he hangs up the gloves now.

Let’s see how this shakes out. Hopefully the two parties can hash things out. The new champ Magomed Ankalaev, for his part, doesn’t seem optimistic.