Alex “Poatan” Pereira was already one of the best kickboxers in the world prior to trying joining the UFC.
His kickboxing record was a dominant 33-7 with 21 knockouts. He was the first fighter in the illustrious kickboxing promotion “Glory” to hold two belts simultaneously in two different weight divisions.
And history has repeated itself as he has yet again conquered two weight divisions, this time in the UFC.
On November 12, 2022, at UFC 281, he defeated longtime rival Israel Adesanya to become the UFC Middleweight Champion. He would then lose to Adesanya in a rematch before going up to the Light Heavyweight division and testing his skills there. And after a split decision victory over Jan Blachowicz, Pereira got his chance at yet another UFC championship going up against the highly dangerous Jiří Procházka.
Pereira would win this Light Heavyweight title bout by way of knockout in the 2nd round to become a two division champion and stamp his name amongst the great UFC fighters before him who have accomplished the same feat.
On June 29, 2024 Pereira defended his Light Heavyweight championship belt for the 2nd time against the same man he fought 7 months prior, Jiří Procházka. The fight would end in dramatic fashion, as Pereira went on to knockout Procházka in the 2nd round from a brutal headkick. Pereira, usually known for his highly effective leg kicks, was able to bait Procházka into keeping his hands down. Definitely a bad strategy, one that set up the blow that led to Procházka’s downfall.
The question now becomes what’s next for the man who seemingly has the UFC roster in the palm of his hands?
It feels like Pereira has been in the UFC for a long time given his notoriety. However, he’s only been on the UFC roster for 3 years. To say his rise to fame has been meteoric may be an understatement given that 3 years in the MMA world is nothing.
If a fighter is lucky, he or she will have 3 to 4 bouts a year. And they’ll start at the very bottom of the rankings. So a typical fighter would have to scratch and claw their way to the top 10 or 15, and by the time they get there, they usually would have put significant years into their UFC career.
But Alex Pereira is not a typical man nor typical fighter.
His kickboxing skills have translated almost effortlessly into MMA, which came to many as a surprise. Any MMA or kickboxing analyst could predict that Pereira would see success in MMA, but the level to which he is currently dominating? No one could have predicted this.
Dana White has said himself that Pereira will fight anybody at anytime. An attitude like that opens up many doors and opportunities ,and “Poatan” is ready to take advantage of every single one that comes his way.
The only problem is that even though he will fight anybody at anytime, the same cannot be said about his foes.
In the Light Heavyweight division, his options are limited. He’s already beaten Jiří Procházka, Jamahal Hill, and Jan Blachowicz, who all rank in the top 5.
There has been talk about moving up to Heavyweight and competing for a 3rd belt. If Alex Pereira could win a 3rd UFC championship and the Heavyweight division, his name would be up there with the Gods of MMA. That would be an accomplishment that the biggest names in combat sports haven’t achieved – Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and Gorges St. Pierre to name a few.
Does Pereira go up in weight once again to Heavyweight and compete for a third belt? Or does he stay in the Light Heavyweight division and continue to conquer? A third super fight against Adesanya is on the table with Israel set to return soon from his hiatus.
However, it’s still unknown what’s next in store for Pereira. But what is certain is that Pereira will not only be ready for his next challenge. He’ll welcome it with open arms.
Expect him to continue on this path of domination.
