Alex Pereira announces UFC return

Alex Pereira has hinted at his next fight with a post on social media. 'Poatan' fell short in his search for greatness at UFC Freedom 250 earlier this year. The Brazilian was knocked out by Ciryl Gane, but he insists illegal shots were the cause of his defeat. Determined to avenge his loss, Pereira has announced who he is most likely to face next. In a recent post on Instagram, Alex Pereira called for another shot at Ciryl Gane. The heavyweight division is currently in limbo, with champion Tom Aspinall's return timeline still uncertain. Aspinall has undergone several eye surgeries and, despite getting back into training, no fight news has been shared. With the controversial ending to their last fight, Pereira believes a rematch with Gane makes the most sense, while Aspinall is sidelined. 'What's up, everyone? After much time, after resting. Resting, what I needed to. After much work, after my last fight, many people are talking. Who will Alex fight?' Pereira said in a post on Instagram. 'And I'm seeing many opinions, but I think the fight that makes sense is Ciryl Gane. That's the fight.' 'I'm going to work on that, and from what I'm seeing, it's something that's going to happen.' Alex Pereira has campaigned for referee Herb Dean to retire from the sport after he allowed Ciryl Gane to land multiple back-of-the-head shots. With a second chance at beating the Frenchman, Pereira likes his chances. The 39-year-old is within touching distance of becoming the only three-weight world champion in UFC history, but that may only be possible if he's afforded a rematch against Gane next. 'The last fight, there were illegal shots. I think now, with another opportunity, I can come back and show what I can do. [Show] what I can achieve, which is the third belt.' 'I'm very excited for that, and I'll work for that. Chama.' This article first appeared on MMA Weekly and was syndicated with permission.