Alex Pereira’s coach vows comeback after UFC 313 loss to Magomed Ankalaev: "Forever my champion"

Alex Pereira may have endured a defeat at UFC 313, but his coach is determined to make a strong comeback.

Pereira suffered a unanimous decision defeat against Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 313 main event, which also took away his UFC light heavyweight gold.

Pereira couldn't manage to get his rhythm in the entire fight. He struggled with his distance management, which compromised his capacity to unleash the power of his strikes. On the contrary, Ankalaev's short and quick strikes made a good impact on 'Poatan', helping him earn a victory in the end.

Despite Pereira's loss to Ankalaev, his coach, Plinio Cruz, refused to lose hope. In a recent update on X, Cruz regarded Pereira's defeat as a part of life's journey and expressed his intention to come back stronger in the "rematch." He wrote:

"Life is a journey… We will be back stronger and ready for the rematch @AlexPereiraUFC forever my champion, Chama."

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Alex Pereira thanked his fans for their support after his UFC 313 defeat against Magomed Ankalaev

Alex Pereira earned a lot of notoriety in the UFC fanbase after becoming the UFC middleweight champion at UFC 281. However, his popularity skyrocketed after a thoroughly successful 2024, when he defended the UFC light heavyweight gold thrice.

However, 2025 began on a sour note for Pereira, as he lost his title to Magomed Ankalaev. Still, a large chunk of the MMA community appreciated his performance on the night. Pereira also reciprocated their appreciation with an X update after his loss against Anakalev. He said:

"Hello, everyone. Some marks but I’m good. Gonna rest a bit. I’ll be back like I have always done. This has happened sometimes, but I’m grateful for all your support, for all our love, for always supporting me. I'm receiving so many messages of great encouragement."