UFC fans woke up to a fresh twist on New Year’s Day when light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira and flyweight contender Tracy Cortez dropped photos that had everyone talking. The snaps, showing the pair locking lips with sparklers in hand against a snowy backdrop, turned heads fast across social media.
Pereira, the towering Brazilian striker, posted on his Instagram Stories around midnight as 2025 flipped to 2026. One shot captured him with his arm around Cortez’s waist, captioned simply “Entrando 2026” with hearts Portuguese for “Entering 2026.” Cortez shared an even closer moment of their kiss, looking cozy in matching sweaters. The vibe was all relaxed smiles and holiday cheer, no big declarations needed. Outlets like Bloody Elbow and Mundo Deportivo picked it up quick, running stories based on the direct posts from their verified accounts.
A tweet from X.
Why Fans Are Shocked This came out of nowhere. No whispers or sightings linked them before, which left followers stunned. Then there’s the height thing Pereira stands at 6’4″, Cortez at 5’5″, making that 11-inch gap prime meme material. Social feeds filled with jokes comparing them to “giant and tiny” duos or mismatched high school dates. One X user quipped,
“Most unexpected MMA couple ever,”
while Reddit threads racked up hundreds of upvotes debating the random match. The post from ChampRDS on X alone hit over 731,000 views and 9,600 likes in hours.
Who They Are Alex Pereira, 38, hails from Brazil and built his name as a kickboxing king before storming UFC. He’s the current light heavyweight titleholder, famous for his knockout punches and calm vibe. After a tough split from ex Merle Christine late last year, he’s kept personal stuff low-key until now.
Tracy Cortez, 32, is Arizona-born with Mexican roots, climbing the flyweight ranks with her ground game smarts. She’s got a 6-1 UFC record and trains hard at Fight Ready. Fresh off her own breakup with fighter Brian Ortega back in 2023, she’s focused on her career but clearly open to new starts.
Bigger Picture In U.S. sports, when athletes couple up, it amps up the chatter think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce levels of crossover appeal. This reveal drops right as UFC gears up for 2026 events, stirring extra hype around Pereira’s title defenses and Cortez’s contender push. Fans are already dubbing them a fresh “power couple,” blending his champ status with her rising star power. It’s a fun sidebar that reminds us these fighters have lives beyond the cage, kicking off the year on a high note.
