Starting life in poverty, Alex Pereira once dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player. But harsh circumstances never allowed that dream to take flight. With his family struggling financially, the future UFC icon began working at a tire shop at just 12 years old. Surrounded by the wrong influences, he started drinking—and by 16, he was already deep into alcoholism. But Pereira made a decision that would change everything: he would start to train in martial arts. That moment marked the beginning of a legendary journey. Twenty-one years later, ‘Poatan’ has conquered it all—from reigning supreme in Glory Kickboxing to becoming a two-division UFC world champion. Now, with his legacy cemented, it’s time for him to give back to the community that shaped him.
Ahead of UFC 313, the former UFC light-heavyweight champion made a bold statement challenging Magomed Ankalaev to make a bet where the loser would have to donate a gigantic $200,000 to charity. Well, the Dagestani never accepted the bet for obvious reasons but he did win the battle, thus putting the onus on Pereira. And, ‘Poatan’ didn’t shy away from doing what he promised. Last month, the former light-heavyweight took to his Instagram handle and show fans that he is constructing something for his community: “Starting the renovation of the place where my first social project will take place.”
A month later, the former champion took to his Instagram handle to share an update on the construction. From what we can see, the structure is nearly complete—we’re just waiting for confirmation on what exactly Pereira is building. “Part of my project showed on my Instagram. We will show a little more here,” said Alex Pereira. In addition to that, the former UFC champion brought a family to tears by buying them groceries, “Today, we will go to the grocery store and bless some families.”
The stoic fighter has always been grateful for his upbringing and proud of his roots. This isn’t the first time the former UFC champion has stepped up to support his people. Ahead of his fight against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, the fighter helped his community by donating thousands of boxes of food and essentials to over a thousand families. The fighter later revealed, “As Pereira revealed, ‘We are in the Batistini neighborhood. This is where I was born and raised. We’re going to give away over a thousand boxes, helping over 1,000 families.”
He further added, “It’s something I’ve been doing for a while. My reality used to be theirs. I went through a lot of hardship, but my biggest fear was always being hungry. So if I can do something to help, I’ll do it.” With continuous philanthropic efforts, the former champion has changed the lives of many people and cemented his status as one of the best fighters in the world. So what’s next for Alex Pereira in MMA? Well, the former champion might either focus on getting his title back or clashing with Dricus Du Plessis.
Dricus Du Plessis was alerted by Alex Pereira’s team following the Magomed Ankalaev rematch confirmation
Magomed Ankalaev took to his social media handle to claim that he is willing to fight Alex Pereira in an immediate rematch. However, according to the former champion, Alex Pereira, August is a bit too soon for him to get back in the Octagon, considering his three back-to-back title defenses last year. Well, as the situation becomes more confusing, Alex Pereira’s mentor, Glover Teixeira, has come forward to assert that his fighter might move back to the middleweight division to take on Du Plessis.
While having a conversation with the media, the former UFC fighter stated, “I think it’s [Pereira vs. Du Plessis is] a good fight. I think that’s probably the next fight for [Pereira]. Who [else] is next for Alex?… I don’t know if he can [make 185 again], I’m not going to say that he can’t. He probably can. It’s just like too much.”
It’s unclear whether the coach is referring to Pereira’s next fight or a fight after the Ankalaev rematch—something Teixeira might see as inevitable. Either way, a showdown between Du Plessis and Pereira promises to be a fascinating matchup. Given that, what are your thoughts on the hubbub? State your opinion in the comments below.
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