'I was hacked': Alex Pereira refutes viral retirement tweet

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has denied reports of his retirement after a cryptic tweet sparked speculation across the MMA community. Pereira claims his X (formerly Twitter) account was hacked.

The controversy began on Wednesday when a now-deleted post from Pereira’s official X account suggested he was disheartened with the UFC and considering stepping away from the sport.

"I've always answered the UFC's calls, but if they want to play with me, we can do that. I've never spoken poorly of the UFC, but with what I've just heard, I'm disheartened. I've already had thoughts of not fighting anymore, and after what was just relayed to me, this may be the start," the tweet read.

The post quickly went viral, leading to widespread speculation about Pereira’s future in the UFC.

However, Pereira addressed the situation shortly after by posting a video on his official Instagram account, denying the authenticity of the tweet and asserting that his account had been compromised.

“I’ve received a ton of messages from people who saw a post on my Twitter,” Pereira said in the video.

“I didn’t even know about it—I was hacked. It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. But I was hacked, and I’ll resolve it. I don’t even know what’s going on. I have a great relationship with the UFC. People like to do bad things. That’s that.”

Pereira, who last fought in March when he lost his UFC title to Magomed Ankalaev, is reportedly in talks for a rematch with the Russian contender.

He emphasised that he has no plans to retire and remains committed to the sport.