UFC
Former UFC Champion Alex Pereira Denies Retirement Post And Says He Was ‘Hacked’
James is an experienced writer covering a wide range of sports, including Premier League and European football, Rugby Union, WWE and the NFL. Having studied English & Creative Writing at Plymouth University, James completed a master's degree in Digital & Social Media Marketing before pursuing a career in Journalism. He then graduated from News Associates in Manchester after finishing their NCTJ Postgraduate Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism. Since then, James spent time writing for GameRant before ing Reach PLC, where he featured regularly in publications such as the Daily Mirror, Football.LDN, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo, as well as dozens of local titles. Now at SportsCasting, James provides expert analysis and detailed research features, as well as covering breaking news stories.
Get to know James Chittick betterPublished08 May 2025
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira says his retirement tweet was due to his being ‘hacked’.
The Brazilian, 37, lost his UFC belt to Magomed Ankalaev in March, and is in discussions for a rematch against the Russian.
But a social media post on Wednesday from Pereira’s said he was “disheartened” and having “thoughts of not fighting any more”.
Alex Pereira Denies Retirement Tweet
Pereira is probably the biggest name in the UFC at the moment, so talk of his retirement led to intense speculation.
But after several hours, the Brazilian posted another video via Instagram, explaining that the earlier statement was not from him.
Posting in Portuguese, Pereira said: “I’ve received a ton of messages, getting messages from everyone, who saw a post from my Twitter.
“I didn’t even know about it. I was hacked.
“It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything – you guys see. But I was hacked and I’ll resolve it.
“I don’t even know what’s going on. I have a great relationship with UFC. People like to do bad things. That’s that.”
How Tall Is Alex Pereira?
Standing at 6ft 4in (1.93m), Alex Pereira is one of the taller fighters in the UFC at the moment.
His 79-inch reach also puts him among the top fighters in the business, which has given him a major advantage on several occasions.
Alex Pereira’s Overall Record
Growing up in a favela in Sao Paulo, Pereira has worked through immense hardship to reach the top of the UFC.
He started kickboxing in 2009, later becoming an amateur boxer in Brazil.
His amateur boxing record is believed to be 25 wins – all by knockout – from 28 fights, with three losses.
Pereira won 33 of his 40 professional kickboxing fights, winning both the Glory middleweight and light-heavyweight titles.
In 2015, he transitioned into mixed martial arts, losing his debut fight to Quemuel Ottoni via submission at Jungle Fight 82.
He debuted in the UFC on 6 November 2021, beating Andreas Michailidis with a second-round TKO at UFC 268.
His first UFC title came in November 2022, when he defeated Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Pereira’s overall MMA record is 12 wins (10 by knockout) and three losses from 15 fights.