The entire world of mixed martial arts was left in awe after Alex Pereira helped a fan battling cancer cut his hair. Watching children with cancer and witnessing a boy give up Muay Thai because of the disease brought ‘Poatan’ to tears. But the fighting world didn’t really expect Glover Teixeira to join another helpful cause for his hometown in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Well, the coach was all up to do 10 trips on a 3-mile rock. Let’s see what it was all about.
On 23 February 2025, Teixeira shared a video on Instagram and revealed the story of the Cruzero Charity Hike. In his hometown, Minas Gerais, there’s a rock called the Itauba rock, which is about 3 miles up and down. And treading that rock is no easy feat under the hot sun. But he did it anyway. He said, “And I say to myself, I’m gonna do 10 times, and I’m gonna donate to people with physical disability because they can’t do this stuff. It motivate people to do outside work, you know, to go outside, and have some fun, and prevent some diseases.”
But the crazy part? The former UFC light heavyweight champion tried to go up and down the trail 10 times. However, he was able to make only 8 trips. In the captions, Teixeira wrote, “Cruzeiro Charity HikeI did my best and 8 out of 10 isn’t bad on an extremely difficult hike in the intense heat and sun. All proceeds to benefit people with disabilities in my hometown of Sobrália, MG. Next year we’ll accomplish 10/10 and raise even more money to help the local people. Thank you to everyone for all the support.”
While Glover Teixeira plans his 10/10 successful trips on the Cruzero Charity Hike in 2026, let’s take a look at what made Alex Pereira cry. Psst… It’s related to the boy who made the light heavyweight champion cry in 2024 with his battle against cancer. And thanks to ‘Poatan’ and the medicos, he rose victorious. But do you know what Pereira felt about it?
Alex Pereira gets emotional for a fan with cancer
During the action-packed events of UFC 312, Pereira met up with his old friend on the sidelines. It was none other than Ashton, the young boy who had to give up Muay Thai because of cancer. But the story took an inspiring turn when the Brazilian champion revealed that Ashton was on the path to a complete recovery from the deadly disease. Last year, when Pereira visited Australia, he obliged the request to cut Ashton’s hair and showed support for his speedy recovery. And it seems like the magic worked.
But that didn’t stop Pereira from jerking a few drops of tears. He said, “It was at the Institute of Cancer here in Australia. It was something very emotional, very heavy for me. I cried, I got emotional. To see this guy recover—he told me that he was training Muay Thai but had to stop because of the cancer. And now, he fought against cancer, he beat cancer after a hard fight, and now, three months cancer-free. A big inspiration!”
Watching the UFC heroes stand up for such causes is indeed quite inspiring. With ‘Poatan’ getting emotional for his fans battling with cancer and Teixeira taking strides in the heat for those who were unable to do so, the fighting realm has come a long way, don’t you agree? It’s truly a proud moment for us fans to watch the stars take such strides for the needy.
What do you think of the Brazilians’ acts of charity? Are you inspired by these stories? Drop down to the debate section below and keep the conversation flowing.
The post After Alex Pereira Got Emotional for Boy With Cancer, Coach Glover Teixeira Joins Another Charity Sending a Special Message appeared first on EssentiallySports.
