In a sudden turn of events, UFC superstar Alex Pereira has announced the end of his short-lived romance with fellow mixed martial artist Tracy Cortez. The news comes just over a week after the pair made their relationship public on social media.
A Whirlwind Romance Cut Short
The MMA power couple appeared to be starting 2026 together after Cortez, 32, shared two romantic photographs on Instagram. The snaps, posted on New Year's Eve, showed the pair holding sparklers and sharing a kiss to mark the occasion.
Earlier this week, Cortez further fuelled speculation about their future by uploading a video from a flight. In the clip, she was seen asking Pereira if they were going to get married. The Brazilian fighter, a two-division UFC champion, replied with the popular Portuguese slang term 'Chama', which translates to 'let's go'.
Pereira's Official Announcement
However, the 38-year-old fighting icon took to his own Instagram story merely days later to deliver a different message. Pereira communicated directly with his fans to confirm the split.
'Thank you my fans for all the love,' he wrote. '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.'
Following the announcement, Pereira shared a cryptic video of himself running in a thunderstorm, accompanied by voiceovers stating 'rain is a blessing' and 'god is good'.
Contrasting Careers in the Octagon
The split highlights a notable contrast in their professional fighting trajectories. Alex Pereira is cemented as one of the UFC's all-time greats. He is a former Middleweight champion and a two-time Lightweight champion, making him the ninth fighter in history to win titles in two weight classes and the first to reign in both the lightweight and middleweight divisions.
In contrast, Tracy Cortez is yet to challenge for a UFC title despite six years with the promotion. The American flyweight, signed by Dana White in 2019 after winning on the Tuesday Night Contender Series, started strong with six consecutive wins.
Her momentum was checked by a unanimous decision loss to Rose Namajunas in 2024. After rebounding with a victory over Viviane Araujo last summer, Cortez suffered a difficult submission loss to Erin Blanchfield at Madison Square Garden in November 2024. Following that bout, she was left bloodied and bruised, almost unrecognisable from the brutal strikes absorbed during the fight.
The swift conclusion to their public romance leaves fans of both fighters speculating on what comes next, both personally and for their respective careers inside the famed UFC Octagon.
