Ciryl Gane spoiled Alex Pereira’s heavyweight debut on June 14, handing the Brazilian a second-round TKO loss in the UFC White House co-main event. Yet despite being thoroughly outclassed by the Frenchman that night, ‘Poatan’ has remained convinced that a rematch could produce a very different result. That belief has led Pereira to call for another showdown with Gane. However, the Brazilian’s push for a rematch hasn’t been met with open arms.

Many in the MMA community have questioned why the former two-division champion should be given another opportunity at the interim heavyweight title without first proving himself in the division. And rather than simply ignore the criticism, ‘Poatan’ decided to give his detractors a piece of his mind.

“A lot of people say, ‘The guy can’t take criticism,’ and all that,” Pereira told Luarta Viana (translated from Portuguese to English). “But sometimes these criticisms are things where the person wants to give an opinion, but they don’t understand. And sometimes that can p—s me off a little, you know? It’s not something that wears me down, but if I’m doing nothing, I’ll go there and answer the guy.

“You know? So he’ll see that he’s wrong and maybe become a better person. Sometimes it’s an influencer with a lot of followers, and sometimes I believe that person is influencing people who are thinking completely wrong. So that happens sometimes.”

There is, however, a reason Pereira remains so determined to get another crack at Ciryl Gane. Following his defeat, the Brazilian pointed to the damage he absorbed following Gane’s second-round jab and argued that his recovery was affected by the illegal blows the Frenchman landed to the back of his head. Alex Pereira subsequently criticized referee Herb Dean for failing to intervene, believing those shots played a huge role in how the fight unfolded.

Rather than accepting the loss as the final word, the 13-4 fighter has used those circumstances to make the case for a second meeting. In his mind, a rematch would give him the opportunity to prove that his first performance against Gane does not represent what he is capable of at heavyweight.

The problem is that Alex Pereira still has no victory at 265 lbs. With that in mind, many fans believe he should have to work his way back toward another title opportunity rather than immediately receiving a rematch with the interim champion.

Brazilian journalist Carlos Figueira echoed that sentiment in one of his videos, suggesting that Sergei Pavlovich could be a more appropriate test for Pereira. More importantly, Figueira argued that Pavlovich’s takedowns could give the former two-division champion another difficult problem.

Pereira clearly wasn’t interested in entertaining that criticism either, reportedly responding by calling the journalist a “dog’s a–hole.” The Brazilian also explained that he has no problem removing people from his social media when he feels their criticism crosses the line.

“Yeah. I delete them, I block everyone,” Pereira added. “I do it myself. Sometimes I have time, sometimes I don’t.”

For much of his career, Alex Pereira has built his reputation as a fighter who rarely needed to say much. The Brazilian’s intimidating presence inside the Octagon did most of the talking for him, and he generally preferred to answer criticism with his performances rather than his words. Since losing to Gane, however, ‘Poatan’ has become noticeably more willing to engage with his critics.

That change was evident in another recent response to criticism surrounding his White House defeat. Pereira fired back at a post mocking his loss by highlighting how much money he has made, even joking that he has 50 bank accounts to hold it all.

His latest comments suggest that Pereira has little interest in letting outside criticism dictate how he lives or approaches his career. In fact, when asked about people telling him that he is a different person now and can no longer move through the world as he once did, the former champion had another blunt response.

“People tell me, ‘You’re a different person now,” Pereira added in the same interview. “You can’t go to these places anymore because you’re at another level. I say, ‘Go f—k yourself.’ There are my people and the people that I like.”   

Alex Pereira launching a tirade against his critics can certainly catch many by surprise. But it’s not just fans and journalists who are criticizing the Brazilian. Even a former UFC champion has backed the criticism of how Pereira has handled his latest loss.

Michael Bisping receives support from Josh Hokit for calling Alex Pereira a “sore loser”

The former two-division champion’s repeated attempts to secure another fight with Ciryl Gane have done little to win over his critics. If anything, his persistence has only given them more reason to question whether he deserves an immediate rematch with the two-time interim champion.

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping was among those unimpressed by Pereira’s approach. ‘The Count’ acknowledged that Gane landed illegal shots during the fight, but he still felt the Frenchman had clearly outclassed Pereira. What bothered Bisping more, however, was Pereira’s apparent unwillingness to move on from the defeat.

That led Bisping to label the former two-division champion a “sore loser,” arguing that Pereira should accept what happened and move forward rather than continuing to campaign for an immediate rematch.

Soon enough, Pereira’s bitter rival Josh Hokit joined the conversation and sided with Bisping. The Californian went a step further, suggesting that Pereira should first prove himself against another heavyweight such as Sergei Pavlovich before even thinking about another title opportunity.

“As a fan, that fight makes no f—–g sense,” Hokit wrote on X. “I watched you get demolished. How about a more favorable matchup like Sergei [Pavlovitch], who is basically a striker & way less athletic than Ciryl. How about you get one f—g win in this weight class before you are gifted another title shot.”  

With Pereira facing criticism from multiple directions, an immediate rematch with Gane may seem like an unlikely proposition. But there is one factor that could still work in the Brazilian’s favor: the UFC’s heavyweight division remains in a state of uncertainty.

The reigning heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is still dealing with eye problems stemming from UFC 321, leaving the title picture without a clear timetable. If Aspinall’s absence continues, the UFC could eventually need another major fight to keep the division moving. And regardless of how fans feel about Pereira’s rematch demand, another clash with Gane would undoubtedly generate significant interest.

For now, though, Alex Pereira will have to wait and see whether his persistence pays off. Ultimately, the decision rests with the UFC. And with the heavyweight title picture already clouded by uncertainty, ‘Poatan’ may still get the rematch he has been demanding, whether his critics think he deserves it or not.