UFC champion Alex Pereira teases octagon return in latest social media post
Alex Pereira has recently hinted at a potential return to the UFC octagon.
'Poatan' secured the UFC light heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka last November at UFC 295. However, the 205-pound champion stirred curiosity among MMA fans with a social media post last month.
Pereira shared a cryptic mathematical equation, "30+300=3," on his Instagram Stories, leaving fans puzzled as they speculated on its significance. Fans deduced that the numerical sequence hinted at the Brazilian's aspiration to vie for a third title at the highly anticipated UFC 300 event scheduled for Apr. 13.
However, in an interview with The Mac Life last month, 'Poatan' dismissed speculations about a potential showdown with interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall at UFC 300, emphasizing that his current priority is defending his light heavyweight title.
Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (7:24):
Nevertheless, it appears that Pereira is gearing up for his return to the octagon, signaling his imminent comeback through a recent Instagram post.
The photo he shared was accompanied by a caption that stated, "De Volta," which translates to "Back."
Check out Alex Pereira's post below:
Pereira achieved the feat of becoming a two-division champion in just seven UFC fights, the quickest in the MMA promotion's history.
On his record, the former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion boasts victories over Jan Blachowicz, Israel Adesanya, and Prochazka, along with current UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Alex Pereira shifts focus away from Israel Adesanya trilogy bout
Alex Pereira has suggested that he could be moving past the rivalry with Israel Adesanya.
Following his victory at UFC 295, 'Poatan' promptly issued a challenge to Adesanya for a trilogy bout. The longtime adversaries have faced off four times in combat sports, with Pereira triumphing twice over 'The Last Stylebender' in kickboxing and each fighter securing a win apiece in their UFC bouts. Pereira holds a 3-1 record against Adesanya overall.
Pereira secured the middleweight championship with a victory over Adesanya at UFC 281 in Nov. 2022. However, he later lost the title in a rematch at UFC 287 last April.
Although a third encounter could potentially conclude their rivalry, Adesanya is presently on a hiatus, a decision he took following his defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.
During a Q&A session hosted by Ares FC last month, 'Poatan' expressed that should Adesanya stick to his choice of staying away from competition, he is ready to move forward.
Check out Alex Pereira's comments below: