UFC Star Alex Pereira Shares Cryptic Career Update After UFC White House Loss

Alex Pereira’s latest update following his loss to Ciryl Gane has the MMA world buzzing about the UFC star’s fighting future.

Just over a week ago, Pereira made a bid for UFC history when he and Gane met in an interim heavyweight title fight in the co-main event of “UFC Freedom 250”, which took place on The South Lawn of The White House in Washington, D.C.

A win would have seen “Poatan” become the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in three different weight classes, but Pereira came up short in that attempt when Gane stopped him with strikes in the second round and claimed the interim heavyweight belt for the second time.

Alex Pereira Says He's "Afraid to Go Back to Fighting"

The result of the White House co-main event was not without some controversy, as Gane appeared to land several strikes to the back of Pereira’s head during the course of a lengthy finishing sequence that ultimately saw Herb Dean step into to end things less than a minute and a half into the second round.

Ciryl Gane (blue gloves) fights Alex Pereira (red gloves) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Pereira has voiced his frustration with the officiating and alleged fouls in the aftermath of the event, garnering a range of reactions from the combat sports community. UFC CEO Dana White remained largely neutral when asked about the Brazilian’s desire to appeal the result of the fight following last Saturday’s UFC Vegas 119 event.

U.S. President Donald Trump and UFC President and CEO Dana White walk out during the UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Accompanied by a video breaking down the finishing sequence from Gane as well as images of the damage to the back of his head, Pereira recently posted an Instagram story that suggests he might be considering hanging up his gloves.

Alex Pereira (red gloves) reacts as Ciryl Gane (blue gloves) touches his face after their fight during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

“Honestly, I’m afraid to go back to fighting with all this going on. I think I’ve already done my part.”

"Poatan" Has Won Four Major Titles Across MMA & Kickboxing

Pereira could also be stating that he’s said his piece regarding the apparent fouls in the Gane fight and is content to let MMA fans continue arguing on his behalf, but any inkling that “Poatan” (who signed a new eight-fight deal ahead of the White House card) might be thinking about retirement is a massive concern for the UFC.

Alex Pereira (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Magomed Ankalaev (red gloves) during UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The 38-year-old already had a lengthy and incredibly successful kickboxing career even before he fully committed to MMA and made the jump to the UFC, so he’s already absorbed significantly more damage than his 17-fight MMA record indicates. The bout with Gane marked the first time that he’s been stopped with strikes since his immediate rematch with Israel Adesanya at UFC 287.

Alex Pereira (red gloves) looks on prior to his fight against Ciryl Gane (not pictured) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Pereira isn’t the only White House fighter that may now find himself at the center of retirement discussions, as UFC legends Georges St-Pierre and Demetrious Johnson have both called for Justin Gaethje to hang up his gloves after Gaethje upset Ilia Topuria in the card’s main event to finally claim undisputed lightweight gold.

Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) celebrates after winning the UFC Freedom 250 fight against Ilia Topuria (not pictured) at the White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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