Nicknamed ‘Poatan’, Portuguese for ‘Stone Hands’, Alex Pereira possesses tremendous power. This has been a tremendous asset for the Brazilian, who’s wrecked many rivals with his punches. He developed this elite striking pedigree during his illustrious kickboxing career. This helped catapult him to become the middleweight and later the light heavyweight champion of the UFC.
‘Poatan’ was a busy customer in 2024. Having won the light heavyweight title in 2023, he defended his title thrice last year, and now, he’s back to open his account for 2025. Now, Alex Pereira will be up for the toughest challenge in Magomed Ankalaev, who, some fans believe, could hand Pereira his second UFC defeat at UFC 313. But before that, let’s take a look at all the losses the Brazilian star has suffered so far.
Who did Alex Pereira lose to? Israel Adesanya & one more
‘Poatan’ has lost two fights and won eight in his ten-fight mixed martial arts career. The first one came against Quemuel Ottoni on his MMA debut at Jungle Fight 82 in 2015. Ottoni was able to submit him in the third round via a rear naked choke. This was a loss in his first MMA fight for the Brazilian, which was also his first pro-MMA bout. His second loss, however, is much more famous and interesting, coming at the hands of long-time rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 last year.
MMA: UFC 287 – Pereira vs Adesanya Apr 8, 2023 Miami, Florida, USA Alex Pereira red gloves fights Israel Adesanya blue gloves during UFC 287 at Miami-Dade Arena. Miami Miami-Dade Arena Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRichxStorryx 20230409_szo_fw1_0315
Adesanya and Pereira first met in the ring during their kickboxing days. Pereira was able to defeat the Kiwi star in both of their kickboxing encounters. He continued his winning streak against ‘Izzy’ in their first MMA encounter at UFC 281 in November 2022, defeating the latter via a fifth-round KO to capture the middleweight title. But he would lose the rematch at UFC 287 and the 185-pound title in the process, and some fans might wonder what holes in his game led to these aforementioned losses. So, let’s find out.
What are Alex Pereira’s weaknesses in MMA?
We all know that Alex Pereira’s unmatched striking prowess is what gets his rivals’ attention whenever they’re in a fight. It’s no surprise that his kickboxing experience comes in handy in every fight, but he does have a kryptonite. Pereira doesn’t really have a ground game and spends most of his fights standing and trading strikes with his opponents.
Alex Pereira’s weak wrestling and grappling were in full display at UFC 291 when he barely escaped from Jan Blachowicz‘s ground game. He secured a split decision victory, but it was clear that the ground is where his rivals could take advantage, and that is currently the talk of the town ahead of his fight against the wrestling-heavy Magomed Ankalaev.
Meanwhile, Alex Pereira could be great on his feet, but he’s shown susceptibility in that as well. His style of striking is pretty unique, to say the least, since he has an upright stance and his hand remains low, which isn’t what most strikers would do. This has led him to trouble at times, and we saw that during his fights against Israel Adesanya. He apparently found himself in danger when he left himself exposed for blindside hooks while trying to finish ‘Izzy’ in their second fight, which would ultimately lead to his loss.
Alex Pereira’s next mission is to defend his title at UFC 313 and it may not be an easy task because Magomed Ankalaev is eager to shock the world this weekend. Can he dispatch the 32-year-old or will it be his third MMA defeat? Let us know your thoughts below.
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