Since losing his light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, Alex Pereira has been on a path of self-reflection and personal growth. Despite his enormous global fanbase, the Brazilian quietly stepped away from the spotlight following the hard-fought loss — but it didn’t take long for him to grab headlines once again.

Just weeks after the setback, The Brazilian began reconnecting with fans and exploring new cultures. He made waves online after traveling to Japan, where he fully embraced the local customs. Pictures & clips of him donning traditional Japanese attire — strikingly reminiscent of a samurai warrior — quickly went viral, sparking buzz across social media.

However, the mood shifted dramatically when the Brazilian posted a cryptic message that stunned the MMA world:
“I’ve always answered the UFC’s calls, but if they want to play games, we can do that. I have never spoken poorly of the UFC, but after what I just heard, I am disheartened,” he wrote, seemingly hinting at retirement. The post sent shockwaves through the fanbase — but within hours, ‘Poatan’ returned to clarify that someone had hacked his account, denying that he himself had made the post.

Now, back in the United States, Alex Pereira isn’t rushing into another fight. Instead, he appears to be soaking in new experiences before returning to the Octagon. Most recently, he surprised fans with an Instagram story from an unexpected location: WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut (677-707 Washington Blvd). Though he didn’t share much, the post hinted at an intriguing new possible chapter in his journey.

This isn’t Alex Pereira’s first brush with the WWE world. Back in November, he attended a WWE SmackDown event in Buffalo, New York, where he had a backstage moment with none other than Roman Reigns. The brief exchange saw Reigns greet the Brazilian with his signature phrase “chama!” — a clip that quickly made waves among both UFC and WWE fans.

Now, with no confirmed fight on the horizon and another WWE-related appearance under his belt, questions are swirling about what’s next for the former light heavyweight champ. Is all this traveling and media attention part of a larger plan, or is it a distraction that’s slowing down his momentum? Some critics believe the latter. But as always, the only one who can truly answer that — is Alex Pereira himself.

Alex Pereira addresses concerns about frequent travel

While most fighters begin full training camps two to three months ahead of a bout, Alex Pereira took a noticeably different approach ahead of UFC 313. Just a month before his scheduled title defense against Magomed Ankalaev, the Brazilian was in Australia, cornering his former rival turned sparring partner, Sean Strickland. Even after UFC 312, ‘Poatan’ remained in Australia, despite his own fight looming just weeks away.

Upon returning, instead of jumping straight into a disciplined training camp, he was seen attending parties and even meeting pop star Drake. These public appearances sparked concerns, most notably from UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier.

“This dude (Pereira) was seen in Australia last week still, and he was shaking the hand of Drake as Drake went on stage for his concert…” Cormier said on Good Guy / Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen. “Pereira better get home. He needs to get home right now and make sure he’s locked in, because he does have the hardest fight of his title reign to this point.”

However, Alex Pereira quickly shut down the criticism surrounding his travel habits. Speaking with Bloody Elbow, the reigning light heavyweight champ explained:

“I was in Australia and had signed up to fight, but didn’t even know I was going to do that. This time it was all very planned out, I knew what I was going to do.” He continued, “A lot of people are talking about the traveling and all of the trips. Maybe it’s not the ideal situation. But I feel like I’m very experienced with that, and I’ve done this one million times, to be honest.”

Now, according to the latest update from Magomed Ankalaev, Pereira turned down a proposed rematch at UFC 317 during International Fight Week. With nothing official on the horizon, the question remains: Will Alex Pereira eventually get the chance to settle the score with the Russian in a future showdown?
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