Alex Pereira has backtracked on claims that he was hacked after shockingly revealing plans to retire.
Pereira shocked the MMA world in May with a wild social media post that claimed he ‘had thoughts of not fighting’ again after conversations with the UFC over a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev.
Pereira faces Ankalaev for the second time in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 320 on October 4, just five months after he dropped the belt to the Russian in their first meeting.
The pair had seemingly agreed to rematch on the night, but after weeks of back and forth, Ankalaev said Pereira was ‘done’ fighting, having failed to agree on a date for their second bout.
This prompted Pereira’s post on X that revealed he was feeling ‘disheartened’ about the entire situation, although the 38-year-old later told fans he was ‘hacked.’
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show ahead of his UFC return in Las Vegas, Pereira revealed that it was indeed him behind the bizarre online post, before asserting his ‘amazing relationship’ with the UFC.
Alex Pereira makes U-turn on hacking claims after retirement admission
“A little bit was miscommunication,” Pereira said through his translator, Plinio Cruz.
“I was upset back then, that’s why I sent that tweet. But I regretted it, and I was wrong.
“I didn’t know anything that was going on, so it was kind of miscommunication between camp, manager and the UFC. It’s not the UFC’s fault.”
Pereira was named the UFC’s fighter of the year in 2024, having defended the light-heavyweight title three times in six months.
He knocked out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April, before doing the same to Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree.
‘Poatan’ has also held gold in the middleweight division, defeating Israel Adesanya for the belt in November 2022, just a year after making his UFC debut in what has been a remarkable journey to MMA’s summit.
The seven months Pereira has been out of action mark his longest absence from Dana White‘s promotion since his debut.
“After the [Ankalaev] fight, it was expressed to the UFC that I had to heal a few injuries, take some time,” he added, speaking on the negotiations for his UFC 320 rematch.
“I fought back-to-back multiple times last year. I needed a little break.
“It was promised to me that I would be the next challenger. [That I would] be fighting for the belt next.
“The whole thing with Ankalaev saying I didn’t want to take the fight, I knew I was going to fight regardless, in August or October.
“[Ankalaev] kept saying, ‘Alex doesn’t want to fight,’ [and that] shows he has no power in the organisation, and that they don’t care about him.”
Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 4.
Elsewhere on the card, Merab Dvalishvili makes his third bantamweight title defence against Cory Sandhagen in a mouthwatering co-main event.
No. 2-ranked light heavyweight Prochazka locks horns with Rountree at the top of the bill to decide who will face the main event’s winner.
Czechia fighter Prochazka has been unofficially named as the back-up fighter for Ankalaev vs Pereira, in case either man is unable to make the walk for the bout.
Pereira, meanwhile, has been rumoured to move up to heavyweight after his bout with Ankalaev, regardless of what happens.
The two-division UFC champion has been walking around at roughly 235lbs ahead of his Las Vegas return, with fans believing this could signal a future move up to fight heavyweight king Tom Aspinall.