Joe Rogan has a theory as to why Alex Pereira struggled in his title fight loss at UFC 313.
“Poatan” lost his light heavyweight belt to Magomed Ankalaev in a five-round fight where Ankalaev was mostly in control. Pereira`s famous knockout power was absent, ending his streak of three title defenses.
During a UFC London Fight Companion episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan stated he heard Pereira was affected by a hand injury and an illness.
“They say he fought with a broken hand and norovirus against Ankalaev,” Rogan mentioned.
Norovirus is an illness causing vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach problems. Pereira hasn`t publicly mentioned any health issues before the March 8 fight, and Rogan didn`t elaborate, but wondered if Pereira is fighting too often after three championship fights in 2024.
“He fought with a broken toe before,” Rogan added. “When he beat Jiri Prochazka, his knee was messed up. He almost fell at the end of the fight because his knee gave out. He was fighting on one leg in that fight. Then he had surgery, probably meniscus, because he recovered quickly.”
Ankalaev was on a 13-fight unbeaten run and used a strategic striking approach to neutralize Pereira, landing the most impactful punch in round two. He won by unanimous decision and became the UFC light heavyweight champion.
Rogan praised Ankalaev for his victory.
“Ankalaev and Pereira, second round [Pereira] gets rocked and wasn’t the same after,” Rogan said. “He was much more defensive. Ankalaev’s standup against Pereira was very high level, especially removing the lead hand and taking away angles.”
Pereira`s future is uncertain. As a former two-division champion and popular UFC fighter, a rematch is possible if he wants it. However, the light heavyweight division has many contenders, and Pereira has considered moving to heavyweight.
Rogan believes an Ankalaev-Pereira rematch is likely next.
“They’re going to run it back, I’m sure,” Rogan said. “It’s the biggest fight in the division, if Pereira is healthy. But he might be too active.”
