Alex Pereira has finally explained why his relationship with fellow UFC fighter Tracy Cortez ended, months after their brief romance captivated the MMA world. Speaking with ALF Global, the former two-division UFC champion revealed that he never wanted to talk about his personal life again, but decided to do so after receiving repeated questions about the breakup.

“I have even mentioned before that there was really no need to be asking these sorts of specific questions,” he said in his native Portuguese. “But people constantly keep asking me anyway, and I simply do not wish to talk about it anymore.

“It’s also about taking advantage of this channel, which is a channel the whole world will see.”

Even so, ‘Poatan’ finally did offer fight fans a rare glimpse into what actually led to the split.

“Well, all things considered, I think we mutually agreed to go our separate ways. I didn’t agree with some things either. Maybe she’s not ready for a serious relationship, a 100% serious one, so that’s what happened.”

However, despite the split, Alex Pereira also stressed that there is no bad blood between the two.

“Then I decided to leave, and that’s okay,” he added. “I genuinely wish her all the best. I hope she achieves everything she’s been working so hard for and fulfills all of her dreams. I have nothing against her—quite the opposite. I sincerely wish her happiness and success in whatever she chooses to do.

“What I do know is that it didn’t work out. Each of us went our own way, and that’s it. I don’t even want to say anything else; everything’s fine. Each of us went our own way. It’s all good.”

The comments are the first time ‘Poatan’ has publicly spoken about why the relationship ended. He and Tracy Cortez surprised fans earlier this year when they revealed to the public that they were dating. However, just nine days later, Alex Pereira revealed on Instagram that they had mutually decided to part ways, without providing any further explanation.

“Thank you, my fans, for all the love,” Alex Pereira wrote on his Instagram back then. “I would like to communicate with you guys that even though me and Tracy shared great moments together, we decided it would be better for the both of us to go our separate ways.

“I wish her nothing but the best in her journey.”

During their brief relationship, Cortez was regularly seen training alongside Alex Pereira. And before dating ‘Poatan’, the No. 8-ranked women’s flyweight had a long-term relationship with Brian Ortega, a former UFC featherweight title contender.

The two have since returned their focus to their careers. The 32-year-old is now booked to return at UFC 329 on July 11, when she will go one-on-one against Wang Cong on the undercard of Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2. The clash is crucial for the American, who has lost two of her last three fights and will now be walking in as the underdog.

Alex Pereira, meanwhile, suffered a controversial TKO loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250. The Brazilian has continued to insist that referee Herb Dean should have stepped in after what he believes were unlawful strikes to the back of his head during the final sequence.

So, while ‘Poatan’ has spent the past few days criticizing the renowned referee, fellow heavyweight Josh Hokit has gone in the opposite direction, as the rising heavyweight has made it no secret that he wants to fight Pereira.

Josh Hokit continues defending Herb Dean while taking shots at Alex Pereira

‘The Incredible Hok’ has been looking for ways to get under the former champion’s skin since knocking out Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250, which was the biggest win of his career.

Following another controversial night for Herb Dean at UFC Baku, when his handling of the Sharaputdin Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira co-main event drew widespread criticism, many fighters, including Pereira, sided with ‘Demolidor’ and even backed a petition demanding the UFC referee’s removal from officiating UFC bouts. However, Josh Hokit wasn’t one of them.

“The best referee in the game,” he wrote on X, throwing his support behind the veteran official despite the growing backlash.

He even went so far as to suggest he hopes Dean is assigned to referee one of his own fights, which many fans interpreted as yet another attempt to troll Alex Pereira, who recently requested that Herb Dean never officiate one of his bouts again.

And if you think that’s petty, the trash talk has not ended there for ‘The Incredible Hok.’ Josh Hokit has repeatedly called out Pereira over the past few weeks, going as far as bringing up the Brazilian’s well-documented struggle with alcoholism.

“Alex Pereira is a broken man,” Hokit wrote on X. “Imagine how much more broken he’ll be after I beat him… he started as an alcoholic, and he will end as an alcoholic.”

For now, ‘Poatan’ is sidelined with a mandatory medical suspension following his loss against Ciryl Gane. But once he’s cleared to return, Josh Hokit has made it clear that he will be waiting—and doing everything he can to keep the rivalry alive.