Alex Pereira’s rise to superstar status in the UFC was nothing short of spectacular, however, Henry Cejudo believes it could’ve been his downfall.
At UFC 313 on Saturday, Alex Pereira was once again looking to join an elite list of names by smashing a record set by Jon Jones when he took on Magomed Ankalaev in the main event.
Unfortunately for ‘Poatan’, though, he was outpointed by Ankalaev who went on to dethrone him as light heavyweight champion, bringing his title reign to an end.
As well as receiving criticism ahead of the fight, Pereira’s ‘uncharacteristic’ performance was criticised by Joe Rogan, as the Brazilian was surprisingly outstruck over five rounds.
Henry Cejudo claims Alex Pereira’s lifestyle was to blame for UFC 313 loss
Since joining the UFC in 2021, Pereira has rapidly risen to superstardom because of knockouts over the likes of Israel Adesanya, Jiri Prochazka, and Jamahal Hill, and with that, he became the sport’s biggest star.
Ahead of his title defense, the 37-year-old was in Australia helping his teammate, Sean Strickland, prepare for his UFC 312 fight, and even attending Drake concerts.
And with that, former UFC double champion, Henry Cejudo, believes that Pereira’s lifestyle has finally caught up with him.
“I think Alex Pereira’s lifestyle is finally kind of catching up to him,” he said on a recent episode of The Pound-for-Pound Podcast.
“The travel, the chama’s, a lot of the skits and a lot of the stuff he’s actually doing, it’s really not doing him any service, he looked a little pudgier.
“Magomed Ankalaev did a really good job, his composure, bro… I think Alex Pereira started complaining a little bit, like, ‘Oh he held me against the cage’, well it’s your job to get out of there,” Cejudo continued.
Alex Pereira was also trolled by ex-girlfriend following title loss
Although the majority of the UFC fanbase was disappointed to see Pereira dethroned, there was at least one person who was reveling in his downfall.
A video went viral on social media of the 37-year-old’s ex-girlfriend celebrating his loss, claiming, ‘No more chama.’
Pereira took to social media to respond to his ex-girlfriend, with his response once again winnning over the fans.
Fortunately for Pereira, though, he will likely get an immediate rematch against Ankalaev, as after the event, UFC boss, Dana White provided a one-word answer to that being the likelihood.
And with that, Pereira vowed to ‘make some adjustments’ in the potential rematch after his elite level striking was completely nulified.