Alex Pereira has suggested he may be considering retirement, saying he is now apprehensive about returning to competition following events inside the cage and that he feels he may have already accomplished what he set out to do. Meanwhile, welterweight contender Ian Garry has vowed to defend the title more frequently than lightweight champion Islam Makhachev if he wins the belt, pointing out that Makhachev fights roughly once a year and promising greater activity at 170 pounds.
Alex Pereira has publicly raised the possibility of walking away from the sport, while welterweight contender Ian Garry has pledged to be a far more active champion than Islam Makhachev should he capture the 170-pound title.
Pereira, 38, said he feels apprehensive about returning to competition following recent events inside the cage, and suggested he may have already achieved everything he set out to accomplish. The Brazilian light heavyweight champion carries a 13-4 record and has established himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA history. Standing six-foot-four with a 79-inch reach, "Poatan" lands 5.16 significant strikes per minute at a remarkable 62 percent accuracy — numbers that underline just how dominant his stand-up game has been throughout his UFC tenure.
Garry, for his part, took direct aim at Makhachev's schedule when making his case for increased title activity at welterweight. The Irishman pointed to the fact that the lightweight champion — who holds a 28-1 record and sits atop the pound-for-pound rankings — competes roughly once a year, and vowed to defend the 170-pound belt far more frequently if given the chance to claim it.
Makhachev, 34, is a southpaw out of Russia's Eagles MMA camp. He averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands 2.63 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy, making him one of the most complete fighters in the world. His title defenses have come at measured intervals, a pattern Garry is clearly banking on as a talking point heading into his own championship pursuit.
Why it matters
- A Pereira retirement would create an immediate vacancy in a stacked light heavyweight division.
- Garry's comments raise the profile of his welterweight title campaign and set a public benchmark he would be held to as champion.
- Makhachev's activity rate becomes a storyline that could shape how his legacy is evaluated against future challengers.
