‘Never coming back’… Magomed Ankalaev shares alarming update on Alex Pereira rematch

Magomed Ankalaev wants to ‘move on’ after claiming Alex Pereira isn’t returning

At first, Ankalaev and Pereira seemed to agree a timeline of the summer for their second showdown. But the latter’s rejection of a title shot at UFC 317 on June 28 cast uncertainty over that and drew backlash from the champion.

And beyond just June, Ankalaev has alleged in a post on X that the Brazilian also has no plans to return to action in July or August.

With that, the light heavyweight kingpin wants to move on to other options, as he is convinced that ‘Poatan’ has no intention of a comeback.

“Alex [is] done, [he’s] never coming back,” Ankalaev wrote. “Let’s move on; June, July, August I said yes.”

Alex Pereira’s ‘hacker’ previously threatened UFC retirement

Talk of Pereira suddenly retiring already emerged after a social media post hinted toward a falling out with the UFC.

But Pereira explained that a post calling out the promotion for disrespect and threatening to walk away from the sport was made by a hacker.

The likes of Daniel Cormier rejected Pereira’s hacked claim, especially after it came to light that Jiri Prochazka had been offered a shot at UFC 317 in light of his unavailability.

Reports of Pereira fighting through an injury at UFC 313 could also explain a longer-than-usual rest from activity for ‘Poatan’, who was said to have battled a number of physical issues during his 3-0 run in 2024.