Alex Pereira distinguished himself as one of the most consistently active champions in the UFC. In sharp contrast to Jon Jones, who has defended his heavyweight title only once over two years, Pereira put his 205-pound championship on the line four times in a mere 16 months.
The year 2024 was particularly impactful for ‘Poatan’, as he secured three victories without a loss, achieving knockout finishes against Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree. This performance significantly bolstered his legacy and prolonged his title reign.
While Pereira garnered acclaim for essentially ‘saving’ UFC events due to his frequent appearances, this demanding schedule seemingly came at a significant personal cost.
Indications of this strain included fighting through a broken toe before UFC 300 to ensure a swift return at UFC 303, alongside a range of health complications leading up to UFC 307. These issues suggested that ‘Poatan’ was rarely competing in peak physical condition.
These ongoing health challenges are believed by some to have played a role in his loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March, with reports surfacing of both a hand injury and a bout of norovirus affecting him before the fight.
Recently, Pereira received crucial advice from a veteran of the sport, the legendary UFC Hall of Famer and MMA pioneer, Don Frye.
During an appearance on Submission Radio, ‘The Predator’ issued a strong caution to ‘Poatan’ regarding the potential consequences of competing while injured.
“Well, if you’re hurt, take the time off and heal up. I never did. I always popped the pills and kept going, you know, fighting through it,” Frye stated.
Frye elaborated on the impact of his own choices:
“That ended up making my career take a s–t, my career. Come to find out, the promoter don’t give a damn. They don’t give a damn about you. I haven’t got one Christmas card or birthday card from any promoter ever.”
“And I made them all lots and lots of f–king money,” Frye added. “I almost like died in the hospital a couple of times and nobody ever called me up and said, ‘How you doing? Hope you’re better.’”
Speaking to Cronkite News in 2022, Frye estimated he had undergone between 40 and 50 surgical procedures throughout his mixed martial arts career.
The American legend confessed that he should have retired with a 15-1 record after his victory over Yoshihiro Takayama at Pride 21 in 2002. Instead, he chose to compete an additional 15 times up until 2011, resulting in eight defeats.
Frye also had notable disagreements with Dana White during and after his career, going so far as to accuse the UFC president of ‘ruining the sport’ following his retirement in 2012.
In a related note, Alex Pereira recently declined the opportunity for another rapid return to the Octagon, although the decision was not explicitly stated to be injury-related.
After his defeat to Magomed Ankalaev, ‘Poatan’ was reportedly offered a rematch approximately just over three months later at UFC 317 on June 28th.
However, according to journalist Ariel Helwani, the proposed timeframe was not suitable for the Brazilian fighter, known for his busy schedule.
Pereira also generated headlines when he appeared to suggest he might retire following a disagreement with the UFC. This dispute was rumored to involve the promotion’s consideration of offering Jiri Prochazka the next title shot instead.
Despite the stir, the former kickboxer later claimed his social media account had been “hacked,” a statement that was met with a degree of skepticism from observers.
Gareth Pendleton