Alex Pereira will have his work cut out for him this weekend at UFC 313.
Alex Pereira’s Dominant Run At Top Threatened By Powerful Competitor From Russia
From kickboxing to mixed martial arts, Pereira has conquered the world of professional fighting. Garnering two-division champion status in both Glory and the UFC, the Brazilian striking savant stands as arguably the greatest combat sports athlete of all time. This Saturday, at UFC 313, he will encounter the man whom many expect to be the hardest challenge of his light heavyweight run in Dagestan’s Magomed Ankalaev.
Since losing his company debut to Scottish Jiu-Jitsu ace Paul Craig in 2018, Ankalaev has embarked on a remarkable 12-fight unbeaten streak. Nearly earning the 205-lb strap in a 2022 matchup with former champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282 that ended in a draw, the Russian has rattled off two more wins over Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakić.
For the majority of his time at light heavyweight, Pereira has enjoyed stellar bouts with other fantastic strikers from Jiří Procházka to Khalil Rountree Jr. But for his fourth title defense, “Poatan” will face a foe that is competent both on the feet and in the wrestling department.
While he has fought other complete mixed martial artists in the past, Ankalaev brings a high-level grappling game that could make Pereira’s time in the cage a miserable one if he gets put on the canvas. However, the 37-year old has literally made a career off of defying the odds time and time again, and he may very well shock the world once more with another vintage performance at UFC 313.
Alex Pereira’s Struggles With Alcohol Abuse and Beginning of Kickboxing Career
Born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1987, Alex Pereira spent much of his later childhood as a member of the workforce, quitting school and picking up several jobs before he turned 13, such as a bricklayer’s assistant. It was when he began working at a tire shop as a young teenager, though, that the future star fighter battled the toughest opponent of his formative and early adulthood years, alcoholism. Under the pressure of his co-workers, Pereira began drinking regularly, despite being well under the legal age limit to do so, which led to him becoming an alcoholic.
Eventually, in 2009, the bottle became so much of an issue for him that he actually took up kickboxing as a way of escaping his vice. In a 2020 interview with MMA Fighting, Alex Pereira said that fighting was his way of beating his addiction.
“I drank a lot and I wanted to walk away from this addiction that is so bad for society. I thought to myself, ‘man,’ I wanna start practicing sports because sports saves people,” Alex Pereira began. “But I didn’t know how to play soccer, I’ve never done anything until then, but I fought a lot when I was a kid, so I thought about combat sports.”
Taking to the sport right away, Alex Pereira amassed a reputation on the Brazilian amateur circuit, netting a supposed 25-3 record, with all of his victories coming by way of stoppage. He then imploded onto the professional scene in 2012, earning the Jungle Fight Middleweight and the WGP 187-lb championships along with the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations Pro Pan-American title in the 187-lb division in 2013.
However, while he was flourishing as an athlete, Pereira’s old nemesis, alcohol, still plagued him even as he continued to rise up his country’s kickboxing ranks. This prompted “Poatan” to leave the bottle behind for good in 2013 after three previous failed attempts at dropping it completely.
“Four years into fighting, I had my whole kickboxing career planned in my mind, and I realized I wouldn’t accomplish my goals if I never stopped drinking,” Alex Pereira recalled. “That’s when I made my mind and quit drinking. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since.”
Alex Pereira Chasing Glory in Glory Kickboxing
Now finally free of alcohol, Pereira was free to pursue his dreams in kickboxing without anything holding him back. By this point, he was already one of the top competitors in Brazil, leading him to chase even bigger opportunities by signing with Glory in 2014. Making his promotional debut on the Glory 14: Zagreb card, Pereira competed twice in the same night, besting both future UFC contender Justin Jacoby and Sahak Parparyan to gain entry into the 2014 Glory Middleweight World Championship Tournament.
Three months later, he fought at Glory 17: Los Angeles – Last Man Standing, losing to the tournament’s eventual winner Artem Levin by unanimous decision.
Over the next three years, Alex Pereira continued to surge on the international kickboxing scene, scoring the WPG middleweight throne over César Almeida, He also set the stage for what would become a historic UFC rivalry when he locked horns with striking sensation Israel Adesanya on two occasions. First beating “The Last Stylebender” at Glory of Heroes 1 in 2016 by unanimous decision, Pereira then handed the Nigerian native a brutal knockout loss in 2017 at Glory of Heroes 7, seemingly closing the book on their feud.
Seizing Glory Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Championships
Traveling to China in September 2017, Pereira contended for his first major title at Glory 46: China opposite former two-time middleweight king Simon Marcus. Taking the Canadian the full five round distance, the Brazilian ended up winning the contest by unanimous decision to become the new Glory Middleweight Champion. Settling into his role as one of the best kickboxers on the planet, Pereira went on to defend his belt a total of four times, but this still wasn’t enough for “Poatan.”
Well into his reign as the 187-lb apex, the Brazilian began a new conquest in a new weight class in late 2019 by taking the interim light heavy strap with a third round knockout over Donegi Abena at Glory 68: Miami. One year later, he attempted to unify the titles in a high-profile bout with then 209-lb champion Artem Vakhitov at Glory 77: Rotterdam.
By the slimmest of margins, Alex Pereira managed to edge out the Russian on the scorecards by split decision to achieve his second Glory championship, making him the undisputed ruler of both the middleweight and light heavyweight classes. However, Vakhitov exacted his revenge eight months later by kicking his usurper off of his pedestal with a competitive majority decision victory.
Alex Pereira Shifts Focus Toward MMA, Early UFC Run
Even while he was an active force in the realm of kickboxing, Pereira had begun to lay the groundwork for an eventual transition into mixed martial arts, beginning a career in the sport in 2015. His first foray into the discipline did not go well, as the Brazilian striker was taken down in the third round and submitted with a rear naked choke by Quemuel Ottoni. Competing off and on in MMA for the next six years, he did not lose again on the regional level, winning his next three fights in a row, including a horrific first round knockout over Thomas Powell at LFA 95.
Retiring from kickboxing in 2021, Pereira signed with the UFC the same year and made his first walk to the Octagon at UFC 268, facing off versus Andreas Michailidis. Although he did struggle against the Greek’s wrestling at first, “Poatan” demonstrated his elite kickboxing background by starching Michailidis 18 seconds in the second round with a flying knee to win his debut.
In his sophomore outing to the cage, he took home a hard fought unanimous decision win in an exciting contest with his countryman Bruno Silva at UFC Fight Night 203. This triumph propelled the Brazilian into a massive step up in competition against Sean Strickland at UFC 276, where he dropped jaws around the world by finishing the American in the first round.
Old Nemesis Returns, Alex Pereira Becomes UFC Champion
Embarking on one of the most meteoric rises in company history in recent years, Pereira was scheduled to take part in the main event of 281 for the middleweight belt, crossing paths with old rival Adesanya. In the wake of his own departure from kickboxing into MMA, Adesanya had become a global star in the UFC, snatching the 185-lb championship and defending it five times, looking nearly unstoppable doing so.
For most of their third dust- up, the incumbent had remained largely in control, stunning the challenger in round one with a shot to the temple and controlling him with his superior grappling. Then, in the fifth round, Pereira had managed to get in close to Adesanya and rocked him hard with a left hook, sending “The Last Stylebender” into survival mode, eventually getting a standing knockout to become the new UFC Middleweight champion.
Five months later, the promotion booked the rematch in what was shaping up to be one of the most anticipated bouts in the division’s history at UFC 287. Having seemingly proven to be the better fighter, Pereira wasted no time in pressuring the former 185-lb king, pelting Adesanya’s leg with kicks and landing several hard shots to the body and face.
By the time the second round rolled around, many believed that the end was near for the City Kickboxing standout. But, after corralling Alex Pereira to the cage by having him attack him, Adesanya delivered a devastating counter right to the face of the champion before shutting his lights out completely with a blow to the temple.
A follow-up hammerfist then sealed the fate of the Brazilian, causing him to immediately stiffen up and forcing the match to come to an end, dropping his first ever fight to Adesanya.
A Move to Light Heavyweight and Second Championship
While fans expected a trilogy contest to be scheduled between these two phenoms of the sport, Pereira soon announced after his defeat to Adesanya that he would be moving up to light heavyweight, citing difficulties with cutting weight to 185-lb.
Making his first excursion into his new division at UFC 291, he came to blows with another previous champion in the form of Jan Blachowicz. Taking place at altitude due to the event happening in Utah, both fighters’ gas tanks were tested early on as the thin air began to tire them out quickly. Showcasing improved takedown defense and hitting the Pole with a couple of strong strikes, Pereira wound up receiving a controversial split decision victory, getting himself back into the win column.
Originally slated to serve as the co-headliner for UFC 295 versus fan-favorite Czech competitor Jiří Procházka, the pair were then promoted to the main event after Jon Jones was removed from the card in his heavyweight championship showdown with Stipe Miocic.
Using his speed, Procházka was able to find his mark with his punches early in the first round, but Pereira began to batter “Denisa”’s legs with kicks, instantly compromising him. Then, in the second round, “Poatan” proved his namesake by bludgeoning Procházka with his signature left hook, sending the previous 205-lb ruler onto the canvas before finishing him off with grounded elbows to score the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
In just two fights, Pereira had cemented his place in the annals of MMA history by becoming just the ninth fighter to win a second title in a different weight class. He proceeded to record a fantastic first year as champion by garnering three title defenses in just six months in 2024, stopping Jamahal Hill, Procházka in a rematch and Khalil Rountree Jr.
From an alcohol addicted teenager working in a tire shop to rising to the pinnacle of combat sports, Alex Pereira’s journey as a fighter is one that will undoubtedly inspire generations of competitors to come.
As he gears up to defend his throne for the fourth time opposite Magomed Ankalaev this weekend, the Brazilian has the entire mixed martial arts community behind him as a true global super star. Should he get the job done at UFC 313, his next contest could be for even heavier rewards; quite literally, in fact.
