Alex Pereira stood by his sister Aline Pereira after her UFC contract hopes took a hit, but fans had little sympathy for the 36-year-old following her loss on Dana White’s Contender Series.

The 36-year-old suffered a unanimous decision loss to Smilla Sundell on Dana White’s Contender Series, and the online reaction has been brutal.All three judges scored it 29-28 for ‘The Hurricane,’ who picked up her third MMA win and punched her ticket to the UFC.

The fight went down during Week 10 of Season 10 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, wrapping up the 2026 Contender Series season. UFC CEO Dana White handed out contracts on the night, but despite the opportunity, Aline Pereira wasn’t one of them.

At just 21, Smilla Sundell already had a ONE Championship Muay Thai title to her name, but her MMA resume was still pretty thin, with just two fights before stepping into the Contender Series cage. That didn’t stop the Swede from bringing the heat.

She kept marching forward, piling on the strikes, and doing enough to outwork the 36-year-old over three rounds. The fight was mostly a stand-up affair, with Aline Pereira struggling to drag ‘The Hurricane’ into an extended grappling battle.

But even after getting her hand raised, the 21-year-old still had one more hurdle to clear: convincing Dana White she was ready for the UFC.

Turns out, the UFC CEO wasn’t entirely sold. The head honcho admitted he thought the young Swede needed more time to develop, but matchmaker Mick Maynard wasn’t having it. He saw a talent worth signing right away, and that was enough to get Smilla Sundell her shot.

“Mick disagrees with me. He thinks you’re an extreme talent and wants you now, so I’ve been overruled. Welcome to the UFC,” White told Sundell during the contract ceremony.

While the 21-year-old got to celebrate the biggest break of her MMA career, Aline Pereira was left picking up the pieces with her professional record now at 3-3. And the online reaction? Not exactly pretty. Fans wasted little time ripping into the fight, with some taking their frustration beyond the performance and aiming it at the Pereira family.

Fans react to Aline Pereira’s loss as Alex Pereira shows support for his sister

Fans were absolutely cooking the fight online, and neither fighter escaped the criticism. Some viewers called it a terrible advertisement for women’s MMA, while others questioned whether either woman had shown enough to be considered a top prospect.

“This was one of the worst fights I’ve ever seen,” one fan wrote.

Another viewer described the contest as “shadow boxing for the win,” while others were even more blunt in their assessments.

“Typical low-level WMMA fight,” one comment read.

Another fan called it a “S— fight between 2 s— fighters.”

The criticism extended beyond the performance itself, with some viewers bringing Alex Pereira’s name into the discussion and taking aim at his sister because of their family connection.

“Whole Family was simply born to lose,” one person wrote.

“The Pereiras are falling off,” another comment read, while a separate fan called Aline an “incompetent failure just like her brother.”

Others questioned whether she would have received the opportunity without her famous surname, pointing to her age and record entering the fight.

“Frankly, if she weren’t Poatan’s sister, she wouldn’t have been there. Not only is she 36, her record going in was 3-2. Not DWCS level,” one fan argued.

And this wasn’t the first time a fighter with a famous MMA surname had faced this kind of backlash on DWCS this year. Back on August 25, Bella Mir, daughter of MMA legend Frank Mir, suffered the biggest betting upset in the show’s history after losing a unanimous decision to Alex Apodaca.

Bella entered the fight as a massive -6000 favorite, making the result even more shocking. While the circumstances were different, both losses got fans talking, even tough it was the 23-year-old’s mother who ended up absorbing most of the heat.

But while fans were busy tearing into the fight, Alex Pereira had a very different message for his sister. The former UFC two-division champion stepped up to defend the 36-year-old, making it clear that one loss wasn’t going to change how he viewed her or the progress she had made.

“Today am just proud of you my sister. You faced one of the best in the world, an experienced opponent, and even with a short time in MMA, you showed a lot of evolution, grit, and courage,” he wrote in his native Portuguese on his Instagram. “The result didn’t come, and many people had a different view of the decision, but that doesn’t change the size of what you put in there.

“A fight doesn’t define an athlete. You have proven that you belong to this level, and you still have a lot to come. I’m extremely proud of you as an athlete and especially as a brother. I love you. Chama!”

Alex Pereira wasn’t the only UFC fighter standing in Aline’s corner. Middleweight Caio Borralho also jumped to her defense, praising the former two-division champion for publicly backing his sister and pointing out just how tough her matchup against Smilla Sundell really was.

“So nice to see @AlexPereiraUFC saying to his sister he is proud of her after she lost a great fight she had in Contender Series,” Borralho wrote on X. “A 36-year-old mom, who works hard, who fought a young 21-year-old prospect, Muay Thai champion toe-to-toe in a close fight. Great great fight and great scene!”

With her professional MMA record now at 3-3, landing a UFC contract could be a tougher climb for the 36-year-old from here. Aline Pereira didn’t get the result she wanted in Las Vegas, but between Alex’s heartfelt message and Caio Borralho’s public support, she had some big names reminding everyone that one defeat doesn’t tell the whole story.