Going into his first fight of the year against Magomed Ankalaev, there were already reports of Alex Pereira dealing with injuries. Now, another Brazilian fighter has added to that narrative, saying an additional issue affected Pereira’s performance.
Earlier this month, Pereira avenged his decision loss to Ankalaev in dominant fashion, stopping the defending champion with a stunning 80-second knockout in their rematch.
‘Poatan’ had lost to the Russian star earlier in the year – his first defeat in the light heavyweight division since joining the promotion.
At UFC 313, where he was already said to be recovering from both a hand injury and norovirus, one of his countrymen now claims there was yet another undisclosed issue holding him back that night.
Alex Pereira’s shin fracture revealed by Mauricio Ruffy
After picking up another right foot injury during his rematch with Ankalaev, Pereira’s compatriot Mauricio Ruffy has said ‘Poatan’ had already fractured his shin before UFC 313.
The Brazilian landed 48 leg kicks in that first meeting, but he could hardly walk going into the fight because of the shin injury, Ruffy claimed.
He said to Laerte Viana: “Alex (Pereira) didn’t [say it], but now that everything’s over, I can say it. He was fighting with a cracked shin in the first fight.
“His shin was so injured, he could barely walk,” Ruffy revealed. “He lost, but he still went out there and fought. Then he came out in the rematch and showed his level.”
Pereira is expected to spend some time on the sidelines due to his most recent foot injury from earlier this month. Despite this, there is strong support for him to make a major return when he is ready.
Joe Rogan backs Alex Pereira’s push for Jon Jones fight
After his emphatic rematch win over Ankalaev, talk quickly turned to a possible move up to heavyweight for Pereira.
While many expected him to go straight into a title fight with Tom Aspinall, ‘Poatan’ has made it clear he would rather draw Jon Jones out of retirement first.
That idea has picked up steam recently, with UFC commentator Joe Rogan throwing his support behind the potential blockbuster matchup.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
