UFC fighter Alex Pereira has clarified that a cryptic message posted on his social media account, which hinted at potential retirement, was in fact the work of a hacker.
The message, which appeared on the X (formerly Twitter) account of the former UFC light heavyweight champion “Poatan,” claimed he was having “thoughts of not fighting anymore.” It suggested he was “disheartened” with the UFC due to “things I’ve just heard.”
However, just hours later, the prominent Brazilian fighter denied posting the message himself.
Speaking in Portuguese in a video shared on his Instagram page, Pereira explained the situation. “I’ve received a lot of messages from everyone who saw a post from my Twitter,” he said. “I didn’t even know about it, I was hacked. It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, as you can see. But I was hacked and I’ll resolve it.”
Pereira further added, “I don’t even know what’s going on. I have a great relationship with UFC. People like to do bad things. That’s that. Chama.”
Pereira`s last octagon appearance was in March, where he lost his 205-pound title to Magomed Ankalaev. This marked his first defeat since moving up to the light heavyweight division. “Poatan,” a former two-division UFC champion, has openly expressed his desire for a rematch with Ankalaev, a sentiment the current champion reportedly shares.
Marcus Blakely