"Love to see him keeping his head up" - Fans react as Alex Pereira shares heartwarming cage-side moment with sons after loss to Magomed Ankalaev

Alex Pereira shared a heartwarming moment with his sons, octagon-side, after his UFC light heavyweight title defeat against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Fight fans soon chimed in on Pereira's interaction with his children, with many alluding to the UFC superstar's positivity in the wake of his title loss.

Pereira, put his UFC light heavyweight title on the line against Dagestan's Magomed Ankalaev. Their grudge match headlined UFC 313 on March 8, 2025.

After a back-and-forth fight, which witnessed both fighters exercise an abundance of caution, the three official judges handed Ankalaev a unanimous decision victory and thereby crowned him as the new UFC light heavyweight champion. The verdict was polarizing. Many argued that Brazil's Pereira was wronged on the scorecards and deserved to retain his light heavyweight belt.

Moreover, as seen in a video in an X post from ESPN MMA, Pereira subsequently embraced his two sons -- Alessandro Vidal Silva and Lohan Vidal Silva -- octagon-side.

Fans weighed in on Alex Pereira meeting and embracing his sons after the high-profile title showdown. Many netizens alluded to his optimistic demeanor despite his defeat to a longtime rival.

Some X users implied that Pereira was a winner in life, irrespective of his setback on the professional front at UFC 313. A commenter wrote:

"Stay positive legend"

Others opined that 'Poatan' would learn from the experience and perform better in the future. One observer seemingly referenced Pereira's love for his sons and hailed him for his commitment to his family

"Family is always first"

Another observer called upon UFC CEO and president Dana White to grant Alex Pereira an immediate rematch:

"Give that man immediate rematch @danawhite"

A fan notably underscored the importance of family and wrote:

"Family is everything"

Similarly, others acknowledged Pereira's bond with his family. A fan praised the MMA icon for his attitude after his loss, in addition to indicating that his family would help him get through the aftermath of the title defeat:

"Love to see him keeping his head up and his family will make sure it's easy to do so."

Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:

Screenshots of tweets

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Dana White weighs in on potential immediate rematch between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev

Certain sections of the combat sports community asserted that given how close the fight was and considering Alex Pereira's dominant run at light heavyweight, he deserves an immediate title rematch against Magomed Ankalaev.

Pereira claimed that Ankalaev excessively stalled by holding him against the fence rather than actively fighting.

Meanwhile, during the UFC 313 post-fight press conference, UFC boss Dana White was asked about whether he'd consider booking an immediate title rematch between the two rivals. White replied by suggesting that the UFC could pursue that course of action:

"Probably."

Watch White's response below (1:25):