Alex Pereira is coming back for his title. With Pereira in his peak form back in 2024, he was looking invincible. Having defended his belt thrice in a year, Pereira was looking to move up to heavyweight. Unfortunately, a lacklustre performance against Magomed Ankalaev made him lose his belt. And now, ‘Poatan’ is determined to take back what was his.
In a recent statement, Pereira stated that he was not thinking of moving up in weight at the moment. Rather, he first wanted to be the champion again in the light heavyweight division. The Brazilian also stated that he would be ready for a fight against Magomed Ankalaev anytime from September.
“My focus right now is fighting Ankalaev… get my belt back, and then we see what happens after… Anywhere around the timeframe [of] September, October, November, for me it makes no difference, I want to fight,” said Pereira.
🚨 Alex Pereira is focused on a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev, and doesn’t plan on moving up to heavyweight yet:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 20, 2025
“My focus right now is fighting Ankalaev… get my belt back, and then we see what happens after…
Anywhere around the timeframe [of] September, October, November,… pic.twitter.com/YayVSQQRrP
Thus, with Pereira back in the mix, the hype is beginning to build. Meanwhile, Ankalaev has taken some sly digs at Pereira since his championship run. Unfazed by all of that, ‘Poatan’ thinks it’s all just promotion.
Alex Pereira Reveals Truth On Magomed Ankalaev Accusations
Magomed Ankalaev has been taking shots at Alex Pereira for long. He also accused ‘Poatan’ of retiring from the sport. However, Pereira has debunked all the accusations and he is pretty much training for his next match. Now, when asked about Ankalaev, Pereira opined thathe was doing all these to promote himself.
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“He’s promoting himself by saying my name. No one knows he’s the champion, so when he says my name he appears a little. But I’m not responding to his provocations, because I know it’s just for promotion. I’ll respond when the time is right,” said Pereira.
Alex Pereira reacts to Magomed Ankalaev's recent tweets about him:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 8, 2025
"He's promoting himself by saying my name. No one knows he's the champion, so when he says my name he appears a little.
But I'm not responding to his provocations, because I know it's just for promotion. I'll… pic.twitter.com/qtAF4ifI8T
Thus, with Pereira getting active once more, it remains to be seen what happens next.
Also Read: Alex Pereira Drops Definitive Timeline On When He Will Be Fighting Again
