Alex Pereira

Pereira was married to the mother of his two sons. He has a sister, Aline Pereira, who competes in karate and kickboxing.

Pereira has Pataxó Indigenous ancestry. His nickname, "Poatan," was given to him by his first kickboxing trainer, Belocqua Wera, and means "Stone Hands" in the Tupi language. Pereira has incorporated Indigenous clothing and body paint into his fight imagery and took his UFC middleweight title to a Pataxó reservation in Brazil.

Growing up in the Batistini favela on the outskirts of São Bernardo do Campo, Pereira worked from a young age. He helped his father as a bricklayer's assistant, shined shoes, sold roses and later worked at a tire shop.

Pereira began training in kickboxing in 2009 to improve his quality of life and escape alcohol addiction. He stopped drinking permanently at the end of 2012. Under trainer Belocqua Wera, he discovered a natural talent for martial arts and developed the striking style that became central to his career.

Pereira won the Glory middleweight title by defeating Simon Marcus at Glory 46: China in 2017. He defended the belt five times, including victories over Yousri Belgaroui, Simon Marcus and Jason Wilnis. His rivalry with Israel Adesanya included two kickboxing victories, one by unanimous decision and one by knockout with a counter left hook.

In 2019, Pereira stopped Donegi Abena to win the interim Glory light heavyweight championship. He then defeated Artem Vakhitov by split decision at Glory 77 in 2021, becoming the first fighter in Glory history to hold two division titles simultaneously. Pereira finished his professional kickboxing career with a record of 33 wins and 7 losses, including 21 victories by knockout, and was inducted into the Glory Hall of Fame.

Pereira made his UFC debut at UFC 268 in 2021, stopping Andreas Michailidis by technical knockout. He defeated Bruno Silva by unanimous decision and Sean Strickland by first-round knockout before challenging Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 281. Pereira won by fifth-round technical knockout.

Adesanya won the rematch at UFC 287, after which Pereira moved to light heavyweight. He defeated Jan Błachowicz by split decision at UFC 291 and then stopped Jiří Procházka at UFC 295 to win the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. Pereira defended the belt against Jamahal Hill, Procházka and Khalil Rountree Jr., setting a UFC record for completing three title defenses in 175 days.

Magomed Ankalaev defeated Pereira by unanimous decision at UFC 313, taking the light heavyweight title. Pereira reclaimed the championship by stopping Ankalaev with punches and elbows at UFC 320, later vacating the belt. He then moved to heavyweight and lost to Ciryl Gane by second-round technical knockout in his heavyweight debut.

Pereira's approach is rooted in kickboxing. He uses measured forward pressure, low kicks and carefully selected power shots, with his left hook serving as one of his most effective weapons. He trains at Teixeira MMA & Fitness and has worked with Glover Teixeira and Plinio Cruz, developing his takedown defense and clinch skills alongside his striking.

Pereira founded Instituto Poatan in São Paulo, which provides free kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, English and computer classes to children. The institute has more than 700 registered children and focuses on young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Pereira is scheduled to make his acting debut as the character The Butcher in the film Onslaught. He has also appeared as himself in UFC programming and was listed as Alex Pereira in the video game EA Sports UFC 6.