Who is Alex Pereira? Get to know the MMA brawler as he lands one more massive KO in UFC 303 main event (2024)

Alex Pereira’s incredibly fast rise through the UFC ranks has seen him become one of the biggest stars in the sport.

The hard-hitting Brazilian kickboxer has only fought in MMA professionally 12 times. But within that brief run, he has already won and lost the UFC middleweight title and moved up to light-heavyweight, where he is currently champion.

He just headlined yet another one of the year’s biggest pay-per-view cards at UFC 303. He faced long-time rival Jiri Prochazka after the original main event featuring Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler was cancelled.

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Who is Alex Pereira? Get to know the MMA brawler as he lands one more massive KO in UFC 303 main event (1)

What age is Alex Pereira?

Alex Sandro Silva Pereira was born July 7, 1987 in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He has a younger sister who also fights named Aline, who is three years younger. As of June 2024, he is 36 years old.

Alex Pereria height and weight

Alex Pereira is 6’4″ and has competed at 185lb and 205lb during his UFC career. However, he is likely considerably heavier than even the light-heavyweight limit on a day-to-day basis given how he rehydrates after weigh-ins.

After his weigh-in for UFC 300, where he fought Jamahal Hill, Pereira was up to 232lb for his fight day weight. That’s a 27lb, or almost two-stone, weight gain within 24 hours and is a more realistic indicator of his weight.

X/Twitter and Instagram accounts

Alex Pereira has a strong following on Instagram with over 3.7m followers to his name. You can join them @alexpoatanpereira.

MORE BLOODY ELBOW NEWS

Pereira is also on X, formerly Twitter, @AlexPereiraUFC and has 158.2k followers.

Who is Alex Pereira’s girlfriend?

It is unclear if Alex Pereira currently has a girlfriend. He was believed to be dating Polyana Viana until last month, when it appeared that the pair unfollowed one another on social media. She has since posted content with the likes of Merab Dvalishvili and has not addressed the Pereira rumours.

Prior to that, he had been dating a woman named Merle. However, when it emerged that she was still married to another man that relationship came to an end.

Alex Pereira MMA record

W-L-D(T)KOSub
11-2-09-10-1

Career stats

Significant Strikes Landed per Minute5.23
Significant Striking Accuracy64%
Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute3.51
Significant Strike Defense (the % of opponents strikes that did not land)51%
Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes1.04
Takedown Accuracy100%
Takedown Defense (the % of opponents’ TD attempts that did not land)70%
Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes0.35

Alex Pereira net worth

According to a report from Marca late last year, Pereira’s net worth was around $2million around the time he headlined UFC 295 against Prochazka at Madison Square Garden last year. However, since then he has taken two short-notice PPV main events at UFC 300 and UFC 303.

It’s likely that Pereira was paid very handsomely for both of those events, particularly given the short turnaround times for them both. And that net worth could now be multiple millions higher depending on how he has invested his purses.

Alex Pereira next fight

Alex Pereira has no fights lined up after headlining at UFC 303 on Saturday June 30 in the To-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He has already fought twice in 2024, first at UFC 300 against Jamahal Hill and against Prochazka at UFC 303.

Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka KO

On Saturday June 30, Alex Pereira won a rematch with Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 by round two. He put up the light-heavyweight world title that he won in their initial meeting, which was actually vacant at the time of their New York clash.

Since UFC 295, they have both won once, coincidentally on the UFC 300 card. Pereira unified the division by beating the last man to hold the belt; Jamahal Hill, while Prochazka knocked out Aleksandar Rakic.

Pereira viciously knocked out Prochazka in the second round after dropping him at the end of the first to retain his belt. Now, he may be heading to heavyweight to challenge Jon Jones.

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Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka

The first fight between Pereira and Prochazka was an exciting clash for as long as it lasted. ‘Poatan’ ultimately ended up showing his vicious power, just as he had done a year prior at the same venue against Israel Adesanya in the fifth round to win the middleweight belt.

The win earned Pereira yet another ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus.

Alex Pereira vs Isreal Adesanya

After their two kickboxing matches, which Pereira had won, there was massive anticipation for their trilogy in the UFC. The Brazilian struggled for four rounds, and was almost stopped at the end of the second.

But he managed to land an unbelievable come-from-behind victory towards the end of the fifth, ending Adesanya’s lengthy and dominant reign atop the 185lb division.

Pereira vs Adesanya 2

After their first MMA meeting and third overall, there was still a clamour to see Pereira and Adesanya fight again. The former champion went into an intense training camp and came out victorious in Miami at UFC 287.

It is still unclear if they will ever have a trilogy bout in the octagon, with Pereira 3-1 over their four fights in kickboxing and MMA.

Alex Pereira vs Jamahal Hill

The headliner for UFC 300 needed to be a big fight, and Pereira delivered when he faced the last man to hold light-heavyweight gold; Jamahal Hill. The division had been left without a champion over a year when ‘Sweet Dreams’ vacated the belt due to an injury.

But he returned to contention immediately at UFC 300 to face Pereira, who had picked up the vacant title in the months prior. Unfortunately for Hill, it didn’t work out for him as he was viciously knocked out within a round.

Alex Pereira vs Sean Strickland

Alex Pereira earned his shot at UFC gold when he knocked out Sean Strickland within minutes at UFC 276. That event was headlined by Israel Adesanya vs Jared Cannonier, and saw the pair put together on a card for the first time in the promotion.

Strickland would go on to win middleweight gold, and this has aged as one of Pereira’s finest victories in the cage.

How many times has Alex Pereira beat Izzy?

Arguably one of the greatest feuds in the history of combat sports; Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya go back years. They fought twice in kickboxing, with the Brazilian first taking a controversial decision before knocking out his rival in their rematch.

They had a trilogy of sorts when they met at UFC 281 in November of 2022 at Madison Square Garden, which Adesanya dominated for four-and-a-half rounds before Pereira landed a stunning late knockout. Finally, the fought for a fourth time at UFC 287, with Adesanya winning by knockout.

Alex Pereira stone meme

The Moai emoji is a face on a stone that is representative of the statues on Easter Island, and is used to represent when one is unemotional. Fans on social media began to compare Pereira to the emoji, and he has began to run with it as a meme.

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Pereira said via a translator: “Well, I think he start with the fans, you know what I mean? Somebody start mentioning because you know his cold stone face, putting a comparison between them.

“And he kind of start using it too and it’s something that he really enjoy. I think the fans enjoy, he actually made a shirt with a stone face.”

Alex Pereira merch

Alex Pereira sells merchandise via his own website, as well as a number of partnerships. The UFC also sells merchandise for Pereira, although their options are more limited.

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Alex PereiraUFC

Who is Alex Pereira? Get to know the MMA brawler as he lands one more massive KO in UFC 303 main event (2024)

FAQs

Who was Alex Pereira supposed to fight at UFC 303? ›

The main event of UFC 303 was supposed to see Conor McGregor return to action opposite Michael Chandler, but after “The Notorious” injured his toe Light Heavyweight Champion Pereira stepped in to save the event by taking on Jiří Procházka for the second time in the card's headlining bout.

Is Alex Pereira one of the greatest kickboxers of all time? ›

As of 2 July 2024, he is #2 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. Pereira is the only known fighter to be a two-division world champion in MMA and kickboxing and is regarded as one of the greatest combat athletes of all time.

What style fighter is Alex Pereira? ›

Kickboxing

How old was Alex Pereira when he started MMA? ›

So at the age of 21, he found himself walking into a kickboxing gym for the first time. It was a decision which would change his life and, in the process, unlock previously unknown aspects of his heritage and identity. “I'm 100% native Brazilian,” says Pereira.

Who fought Alex Pereira? ›

Pereira won the UFC's middleweight title against kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya in late 2022, but lost the belt to him in a rematch.

Who won Pereira vs. Procházka 1? ›

UFC 303: Pereira leaves no doubt with head kick TKO win vs. Prochazka - ESPN.

How many belts does Alex Pereira have? ›

How Many Belts Does Alex Pereira Have? Pereira currently has one belt, but he previously won the UFC middleweight title when he defeated his rival Israel Adesanya in November 2022 via fifth-round TKO to stop his reign in the 185-pound division.

Does Alex Pereira have kids? ›

Alex Pereira has two sons with his ex-wife. Their names are Alessandro Vidal Silva and Lohan Vidal Silva. Alex Pereira is known to have quite a private life off the Octagon. He divorced his ex-wife and is currently not in any relationship.

Is Alex Pereira jiu jitsu? ›

Plinio Cruz | Alex Pereira - our newest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt It takes a village to raise a child… #ufc #brazilianjiujitsu #blackbelt… Instagram.

Why does Alex Pereira say chama? ›

Highlights. UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira uses the catchphrase "Chama" to express excitement and encouragement, similar to "let's go," or "come on." Pereira's catchphrase has gained popularity among fans, who chant it during his fights and events.

How rich is Alex Pereira? ›

Alex Pereira's 2024 net worth

According to several sources, Alex Pereira reportedly boasts a current net worth of a whopping $4M.

Is Alex Pereira a good fighter? ›

It's not just that he became the first fighter to defend the light heavyweight title twice since Jon Jones left the division. It's that he did it on two weeks' notice against a fighter as talented as Procházka. Pereira is now a two-division champion with multiple title defenses against former champions.

How much did Alex Pereira make in UFC? ›

His total purse of $3.305 million [£2.6 million] has eclipsed the estimated $2.85 million [£2.24 million] that he pocketed for beating Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April. The Sportster have reported that Prochazka himself made $1 million [£787,600] for his role in the encounter.

Did Alex Pereira knockout Jiri Prochazka in UFC 303? ›

Alex Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) scored a vicious second-round knockout of Jirí Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with a devastating head kick and brutal follow-up strikes to retain his light heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena.

Who will fight at UFC 303? ›

UFC 303: Pereira vs. Procházka 2 was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 29, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.

How much do UFC 303 fighters get paid? ›

Alex Pereira Received One of the Largest Bonuses in Company History After UFC 303
Select UFC 303 Fighter Purses
Alex Pereira$3,303,000
Jiri Prochazka$1,000,000
Anthony Smith$200,000
Michael 'Venom' Page$200,000
5 more rows
Jul 2, 2024

Who had a broken toe in UFC 300? ›

Alex Pereira was nursing a painful injury at UFC 300.

Post-fight, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that Pereira entered the bout with a broken toe and didn't tell anyone about his injury until after the event.

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