Alex Pereira’s light heavyweight journey, marked by five consecutive wins, four title fight knockouts, and victories over multiple former champions, had elevated him to another-level status. However, at UFC 313, Magomed Ankalaev ended the Brazilian's reign, outpointing him in a five-round main event.
Despite the competitive nature of the fight, Pereira appeared hesitant at times, spending much of the bout under Ankalaev’s pressure and control. The Dagestani strategically avoided takedowns while maintaining control, exposing vulnerabilities in "Poatan's" previously impenetrable aura at 205 pounds.
While the loss is a setback, it doesn’t mean Alex Pereira has been fully figured out. Instead, Ankalaev’s calculated approach highlighted areas for the former champion to address, suggesting that his story is far from over.
I don’t think exposed is the right word, but I think it humanized him,” UFC legend Matt Brown said of Alex Pereira on the latest episode of MMA Fighting's The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Because he was living off all this hype. The UFC is masterful at hyping guys up. I think all of us — it’s hard for anybody, even astute followers of the game like me or you or fighters that understand all the intricacies — it’s hard for us to ignore the amount of hype people put into him. They do this all the time.
They did it with Conor [McGregor], they did it with Ronda [Rousey], they do it with Alex. It’s a constant thing. Jon Jones is the only guy that’s kind of lived up to that, and I say kind of because he lost to [Dominick] Reyes. He had some close fights, but he’s kind of the only guy who really just lived up to that hype and not lost," Brown continued. "(Alex Pereira's) still a great fighter. He’s still everything we thought he was, but the UFC kind of overplayed their cards.
Pereira’s rapid rise through the light heavyweight division has sometimes overshadowed the challenges he faced earlier in his UFC tenure.
While he has been dominant in his title fights at 205 pounds, his knockout loss to Israel Adesanya before moving up in weight serves as a reminder of his past struggles.