Alex Pereira said he entered his UFC 313 fight against Magomed Ankalaev with a hand issue, as he targets a rematch in the summer.

Pereira lost his UFC Light Heavyweight Title, as Ankalaev secured a unanimous decision. Ankalaev controlled the pace of the fight with his striking and grappling. It was the first loss Pereira suffered at the weight class, which ended his five-fight win streak. Meanwhile, Anakalev extended his unbeaten streak to 14 bouts, with 12 wins, a draw and a no-contest. The pair are expected to run things back, as Ankalaev has claimed that Pereira already sent him an offer for the rematch this August. Joe Rogan claimed Pereira had a broken hand, something the Brazilian hinted at. 

Alex Pereira shares that he contemplated not fighting at UFC 313:

“My hand is fine, but it did affect a lot of things… I don’t wanna make excuses… I don’t wanna use this as leverage for anything. This was one of the more complicated fight camps that has ever happened… But… pic.twitter.com/2Njlu4tuHy

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 26, 2025

“I am not trying to take credit away from [Magomed] Ankalaev. Many people try to do that type of thing, and I’m not this type of guy. Everybody goes through problems, and I’m sure he had his own problems too. I had mine, my hand is fine, but it did affect things. I’m not trying to make an excuse. I don’t want to make excuses, I don’t want to use this as leverage for anything. My moment is going to come to win the belt, and then I’ll disclose everything for you guys. Yes, [I considered not fighting at UFC 313]. It was one of the more complicated camps from everything that happened,” Pereira said