UFC is a revolving door, and if history tells us anything, it’s that nobody stays at the top forever. The kings of today? They could be forgotten tomorrow. And with that thought, let’s accept, UFC 313 is done and dusted. It’s time to move forward. But something feels off, doesn’t it? The light heavyweight division doesn’t have that same air of invincibility anymore. Alex Pereira losing his belt wasn’t part of the script. At 37, how many more times can ‘Poatan’ reinvent himself before Father Time locks him in an inescapable chokehold?
‘Poatan’ isn’t one for excuses, and he made that clear while addressing his defeat. “I think we did an excellent job. Not just this fight, we’ve been evolving a lot,” he reflected on his YouTube channel (UFC 313 #07). “I was good for the fight, trained a lot. Some things happen, but I don’t want to give excuses,” he added. He hinted at a rematch, stating, “I know there will be the rematch, they’re talking about it already.” But was this truly a case of the Brazilian slipping, or did Magomed Ankalaev simply seize his long-awaited moment?
March 8, 2025, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: MAGOMED ANKALAEV 21-1-1, 1 NC of Teletl, Russia defeats ALEX PEREIRA 12-3-0 of SoÂo Paulo, Brazil by unanimous decision 49-46, 48-47, 48-47 during UFC 313 at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Las Vegas USA – ZUMAo117 20250308_zsp_o117_006 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
The warning signs were there, weren’t they? We’ve seen champions peak and then slip before. Ronda Rousey went from untouchable to meme material after shifting focus to Hollywood. Chuck Liddell partied his way out of dominance. Pereira? No, he’s not making action movies or hitting up nightclubs in Vegas, but was his schedule just as reckless?
In the lead-up to UFC 313, ‘Poatan’ was seemingly everywhere but locked in a cage training. He was in Australia cornering Sean Strickland at UFC 312. Later staying back to enjoy the sights, and even making time to attend a Drake concert. That raised eyebrows, especially Daniel Cormier’s. “What is Pereira still doing in Australia?” In the end, was this loss due to Ankalaev’s grinding dominance, or did Pereira simply let distractions take a toll? He admits he hasn’t even watched the fight yet. “It’s hard to say what happened. But I’ll watch it from the outside and have my opinion.” One thing’s for sure, his team isn’t buying it.
Did Alex Pereira’s team see a different fight at UFC 313?
If you ask his coaches, the fight played out differently than the judges saw it. Both Glover Teixeira and Plinio Cruz believe Pereira actually won, scoring it for ‘Poatan’ in rounds one, three, and five. “We had this defeat, but in my opinion, he won,” Teixeira said on Pereira’s YouTube channel. “Poatan has made history before, and he will make history again.”
Cruz, equally defiant, declared that this is not the end of Pereira’s reign, just a temporary setback. “This is a stumble, not a fall,” Cruz said. “It’s happened to Poatan before, it’s not the first time, and a true champion is the one that stumbles but continues moving forward and reconquers it. Poatan will reconquer the belt in the rematch.” But will version 2.0 be able to handle a full-throttle Ankalaev? The Dagestani just joined the UFC’s elite club of fighters with 14 or more unbeaten fights, standing alongside names like Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Islam Makhachev. Not bad company, huh?
Now, all roads lead to a rematch. But for Pereira, it’s not just about avenging a loss. It’s about proving he still belongs at the very top. The Chama chants that once echoed through arenas have dimmed, and with them comes an uncomfortable reality. Is Pereira simply reloading, or is this the start of the slow fade we’ve seen happen to so many before him?
For now, Pereira isn’t making any bold claims, yet. “We’ll go back, adjust a few things, train hard, and make history again,” Teixeira promised. And just maybe, that history will see ‘Poatan’ return with a vengeance. What do you think? With his 38th birthday looming near and a packed schedule, is a stronger Poatan 2.0 even possible? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The post “I Don’t Want to Give Excuses”— Alex Pereira Breaks Silence on Heartbreak Against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 appeared first on EssentiallySports.
