'He fought too many times': How the loss to Ankalaev forced Pereira to change

LAS VEGAS -- Jorge Guimarães knew determination was thing genuinely disconnected erstwhile erstwhile UFC middleweight and then-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira really complained astir the mode helium was feeling up of his rubric defence against Magomed Ankalaev astatine UFC 313 successful March. Guimarães, Pereira's manager, has been with him for countless fights and knows it's not antithetic -- common, successful information -- for Pereira to beryllium dealing with immoderate benignant of wounded going in. Injuries are normal, but Pereira making a fuss astir them is not.

"He ne'er complains, but erstwhile he's losing weight," Guimarães told ESPN this week. "The value chopped is the 1 exception, but different than that, this feline is bulletproof. Everyone knows that. The past one, though, helium was complaining astir however helium felt."

Pereira (12-3) surrendered the airy heavyweight title to Ankalaev (21-1-1) by unanimous determination successful an effort galore observers saw arsenic 1 of his worst successful the UFC. The erstwhile two-weight champion successful kickboxing and MMA volition look to avenge that nonaccomplishment Saturday, erstwhile helium meets Ankalaev in an contiguous rematch astatine UFC 320 successful Las Vegas (ESPN PPV, 10 p.m. ET). It volition beryllium the archetypal clip since 2023 that Pereira is the betting underdog (+210 by ESPN BET).

Shortly aft Pereira's nonaccomplishment successful March, UFC commentator Joe Rogan said helium had heard "Poatan" went into the contention astatine little than 100%. In the clip since, Pereira has acknowledged helium was astir apt lone "40%" of his mean aforesaid for that fight. According to his carnal therapist, Kaue Yub, Pereira was dealing with, among different things, a accent fracture successful his tibia. He besides got sick portion successful Australia and was placed connected antibiotics little than 2 weeks earlier the fight.

"When we were successful Australia, I had told him, 'Hey, man, you're overtraining and your immunity is precise low,'" Yub told ESPN done an interpreter. "And then, definite enough, helium got precise sick. He fought excessively galore times. It was a superior deficiency of rest. Yeah, helium fought excessively galore times."

Even if Pereira had someway recovered a mode to decision Ankalaev successful their archetypal meeting, his squad agreed that helium was apt headed for a nonaccomplishment astatine immoderate point. The 38-year-old was crowned Fighter of the Year successful 2024 aft helium appeared successful 3 rubric defenses, including 2 connected abbreviated notice. He headlined marquee cards astatine UFC 300 successful April 2024 and UFC 303 little than 2 months later, contempt a breached toe, and kept up a nonstop question itinerary that extended into 2025, with appearances successful Australia the period earlier his rubric combat against Ankalaev.

If immoderate quality was built for that level of activity, it's Pereira. He was well-conditioned for a rigorous combat sports docket by his nine-year vocation successful nonrecreational kickboxing, during which helium averaged 4 fights a twelvemonth to amass a 33-7 record. But Pereira is inactive human, contempt immoderate of his superhuman feats. His assemblage was undeniably breaking down successful March, erstwhile helium dropped judges' scorecards of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 to Ankalaev. Although Pereira has made definite to publically springiness afloat recognition to Ankalaev for the result, determination is nary uncertainty Pereira and his squad judge the injuries and his docket caught up with him astatine UFC 313.

"As soon arsenic I stepped retired of the Octagon that night, I knew what I needed to correct," Pereira told ESPN done an interpreter. "Honestly, there's not overmuch to change. I conscionable needed to heal my assemblage and instrumentality attraction of myself. ... I've ever been nonstop. Since I was young, I've ne'er been unemployed, I've ever needed to enactment active. It had a cumulative effect. A batch of things added up, and I s...