Alex Pereira may have his work minimize out for him this weekend at UFC 313.
Alex Pereira’s Dominant Run At High Threatened By Highly effective Competitor From Russia
From kickboxing to blended martial arts, Pereira has conquered the world {of professional} combating. Garnering two-division champion standing in each Glory and the UFC, the Brazilian putting savant stands as arguably the best fight sports activities athlete of all time. This Saturday, at UFC 313, he’ll encounter the person whom many count on to be the toughest problem of his mild heavyweight run in Dagestan’s Magomed Ankalaev.
Since shedding his firm debut to Scottish Jiu-Jitsu ace Paul Craig in 2018, Ankalaev has launched into a outstanding 12-fight unbeaten streak. Almost incomes the 205-lb strap in a 2022 matchup with former champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282 that resulted in a draw, the Russian has rattled off two extra wins over Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakić.
For almost all of his time at mild heavyweight, Pereira has loved stellar bouts with different incredible strikers from Jiří Procházka to Khalil Rountree Jr. However for his fourth title protection, “Poatan” will face a foe that’s competent each on the toes and within the wrestling division.
Whereas he has fought different full blended martial artists previously, Ankalaev brings a high-level grappling recreation that would make Pereira’s time within the cage a depressing one if he will get placed on the canvas. Nevertheless, the 37-year previous has actually made a profession off of defying the chances time and time once more, and he might very effectively shock the world as soon as extra with one other classic efficiency at UFC 313.
Alex Pereira’s Struggles With Alcohol Abuse and Starting of Kickboxing Profession
Born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1987, Alex Pereira spent a lot of his later childhood as a member of the workforce, quitting faculty and selecting up a number of jobs earlier than he turned 13, resembling a bricklayer’s assistant. It was when he started working at a tire store as a younger teenager, although, that the long run star fighter battled the hardest opponent of his formative and early maturity years, alcoholism. Below the strain of his co-workers, Pereira started ingesting recurrently, regardless of being effectively underneath the authorized age restrict to take action, which led to him turning into an alcoholic.
Ultimately, in 2009, the bottle turned a lot of a problem for him that he truly took up kickboxing as a method of escaping his vice. In a 2020 interview with MMA Preventing, Alex Pereira stated that combating was his method of beating his dependancy.
“I drank quite a bit and I needed to stroll away from this dependancy that’s so dangerous for society. I believed to myself, ‘man,’ I wanna begin training sports activities as a result of sports activities saves individuals,” Alex Pereira started. “However I didn’t know easy methods to play soccer, I’ve by no means achieved something till then, however I fought quite a bit after I was a child, so I thought of fight sports activities.”
Taking to the game instantly, Alex Pereira amassed a fame on the Brazilian newbie circuit, netting a supposed 25-3 file, with all of his victories coming by means of stoppage. He then imploded onto the skilled scene in 2012, incomes the Jungle Struggle Middleweight and the WGP 187-lb championships together with the World Affiliation of Kickboxing Organizations Professional Pan-American title within the 187-lb division in 2013.
Nevertheless, whereas he was flourishing as an athlete, Pereira’s previous nemesis, alcohol, nonetheless plagued him at the same time as he continued to stand up his nation’s kickboxing ranks. This prompted “Poatan” to depart the bottle behind for good in 2013 after three earlier failed makes an attempt at dropping it utterly.
“4 years into combating, I had my entire kickboxing profession deliberate in my thoughts, and I spotted I wouldn’t accomplish my targets if I by no means stopped ingesting,” Alex Pereira recalled. “That’s after I made my thoughts and stop ingesting. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since.”
Alex Pereira Chasing Glory in Glory Kickboxing
Now lastly freed from alcohol, Pereira was free to pursue his desires in kickboxing with out something holding him again. By this level, he was already one of many prime opponents in Brazil, main him to chase even greater alternatives by signing with Glory in 2014. Making his promotional debut on the Glory 14: Zagreb card, Pereira competed twice in the identical evening, besting each future UFC contender Justin Jacoby and Sahak Parparyan to achieve entry into the 2014 Glory Middleweight World Championship Match.
Three months later, he fought at Glory 17: Los Angeles – Final Man Standing, shedding to the event’s eventual winner Artem Levin by unanimous resolution.
Over the following three years, Alex Pereira continued to surge on the worldwide kickboxing scene, scoring the WPG middleweight throne over César Almeida, He additionally set the stage for what would change into a historic UFC rivalry when he locked horns with putting sensation Israel Adesanya on two events. First beating “The Final Stylebender” at Glory of Heroes 1 in 2016 by unanimous resolution, Pereira then handed the Nigerian native a brutal knockout loss in 2017 at Glory of Heroes 7, seemingly closing the ebook on their feud.
Seizing Glory Middleweight and Gentle Heavyweight Championships
Touring to China in September 2017, Pereira contended for his first main title at Glory 46: China reverse former two-time middleweight king Simon Marcus. Taking the Canadian the total 5 spherical distance, the Brazilian ended up profitable the competition by unanimous resolution to change into the brand new Glory Middleweight Champion. Settling into his position as among the best kickboxers on the planet, Pereira went on to defend his belt a complete of 4 occasions, however this nonetheless wasn’t sufficient for “Poatan.”
Effectively into his reign because the 187-lb apex, the Brazilian started a brand new conquest in a brand new weight class in late 2019 by taking the interim mild heavy strap with a 3rd spherical knockout over Donegi Abena at Glory 68: Miami. One 12 months later, he tried 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 cut up resolution to attain his second Glory championship, making him the undisputed ruler of each the middleweight and lightweight heavyweight courses. Nevertheless, Vakhitov exacted his revenge eight months later by kicking his usurper off of his pedestal with a aggressive majority resolution victory.
Alex Pereira Shifts Focus Towards MMA, Early UFC Run
Even whereas he was an lively power within the realm of kickboxing, Pereira had begun to put the groundwork for an eventual transition into blended martial arts, starting a profession within the sport in 2015. His first foray into the self-discipline didn’t go effectively, because the Brazilian striker was taken down within the third spherical and submitted with a rear bare choke by Quemuel Ottoni. Competing on and off in MMA for the following six years, he didn’t lose once more on the regional stage, profitable his subsequent three fights in a row, together with a horrific first spherical knockout over Thomas Powell at LFA 95.
Retiring from kickboxing in 2021, Pereira signed with the UFC the identical 12 months and made his first stroll to the Octagon at UFC 268, dealing with off versus Andreas Michailidis. Though he did battle in opposition to the Greek’s wrestling at first, “Poatan” demonstrated his elite kickboxing background by starching Michailidis 18 seconds within the second spherical with a flying knee to win his debut.
In his sophomore outing to the cage, he took house a tough fought unanimous resolution win in an thrilling contest together with his countryman Bruno Silva at UFC Struggle Night time 203. This triumph propelled the Brazilian into an enormous step up in competitors in opposition to Sean Strickland at UFC 276, the place he dropped jaws all over the world by ending the American within the first spherical.
Previous Nemesis Returns, Alex Pereira Turns into UFC Champion
Embarking on one of the meteoric rises in firm historical past in recent times, Pereira was scheduled to participate in the principle occasion of 281 for the middleweight belt, crossing paths with previous rival Adesanya. Within the wake of his personal departure from kickboxing into MMA, Adesanya had change into a world star within the UFC, snatching the 185-lb championship and defending it 5 occasions, trying practically unstoppable doing so.
For many of their third dust- up, the incumbent had remained largely in management, beautiful the challenger in spherical one with a shot to the temple and controlling him together with his superior grappling. Then, within the fifth spherical, Pereira had managed to get in near Adesanya and rocked him laborious with a left hook, sending “The Final Stylebender” into survival mode, finally getting a standing knockout to change into the brand new UFC Middleweight champion.
5 months later, the promotion booked the rematch in what was shaping as much as be one of the anticipated bouts within the division’s historical past at UFC 287. Having seemingly confirmed to be the higher fighter, Pereira wasted no time in pressuring the previous 185-lb king, pelting Adesanya’s leg with kicks and touchdown a number of laborious pictures to the physique and face.
By the point the second spherical rolled round, many believed that the tip was close to for the Metropolis Kickboxing standout. However, after corralling Alex Pereira to the cage by having him assault him, Adesanya delivered a devastating counter proper to the face of the champion earlier than shutting his lights out utterly with a blow to the temple.
A follow-up hammerfist then sealed the destiny of the Brazilian, inflicting him to right away stiffen up and forcing the match to return to an finish, dropping his first ever struggle to Adesanya.
A Transfer to Gentle Heavyweight and Second Championship
Whereas followers anticipated a trilogy contest to be scheduled between these two phenoms of the game, Pereira quickly introduced after his defeat to Adesanya that he can be shifting as much as mild heavyweight, citing difficulties with slicing weight to 185-lb.
Making his first tour into his new division at UFC 291, he got here to blows with one other earlier champion within the type of Jan Blachowicz. Going down at altitude as a result of occasion occurring in Utah, each fighters’ fuel tanks had been examined early on as the skinny air started to tire them out rapidly. Showcasing improved takedown protection and hitting the Pole with a few sturdy strikes, Pereira wound up receiving a controversial cut up resolution victory, getting himself again into the win column.
Initially slated to function the co-headliner for UFC 295 versus fan-favorite Czech competitor Jiří Procházka, the pair had been then promoted to the principle occasion after Jon Jones was faraway from the cardboard in his heavyweight championship showdown with Stipe Miocic.
Utilizing his velocity, Procházka was capable of finding his mark together with his punches early within the first spherical, however Pereira started to batter “Denisa”’s legs with kicks, immediately compromising him. Then, within the second spherical, “Poatan” proved his namesake by bludgeoning Procházka together with his signature left hook, sending the earlier 205-lb ruler onto the canvas earlier than ending him off with grounded elbows to attain the UFC Gentle Heavyweight Championship.
In simply two fights, Pereira had cemented his place within the annals of MMA historical past by turning into simply the ninth fighter to win a second title in a distinct weight class. He proceeded to file a incredible first 12 months as champion by garnering three title defenses in simply six months in 2024, stopping Jamahal Hill, Procházka in a rematch and Khalil Rountree Jr.
From an alcohol addicted teenager working in a tire store to rising to the top of fight sports activities, Alex Pereira’s journey as a fighter is one that may undoubtedly encourage generations of opponents to return.
As he gears as much as defend his throne for the fourth time reverse Magomed Ankalaev this weekend, the Brazilian has your entire blended martial arts neighborhood behind him as a real international tremendous star. Ought to he get the job achieved at UFC 313, his subsequent contest may very well be for even heavier rewards; fairly actually, in actual fact.
