Pereira, 37, became the subject of whispers this past week when UFC commentator Joe Rogan claimed on his podcast that Pereira came into the Ankalaev fight with a broken hand and norovirus. There's at least some truth to those rumors, as Pereira confirmed he dealt with injuries, but he declined to go into detail.

In combat sports, athletes may resort to unethical methods beyond performance-enhancing drugs to gain an unfair advantage. Such tactics compromise the integrity

Alex Pereira contemplated not fighting at UFC 313. Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) lost the light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in their main event earlier this month at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.