SUMMARY
- Alex Pereira is the UFC light heavyweight champion of the world.
- He will defend the title against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300.
Alex Pereira, the UFC light heavyweight champion of the world, is all set to defend his title for the first time at UFC 300. He will go up against the former champion, Jamahal Hill, in the main event of the much-anticipated PPV. While fans are not impressed by the fight, UFC President Dana White confirmed this on his social media platforms recently. However, that is not the only development regarding Pereira, as he has recently signed a new contract.
Ahead of his move to the 205lbs division, Alex Pereira held the UFC middleweight title as well. Although he has only had 11 fights in his MMA career, Poatan has already won two world titles in two separate UFC weight classes. As a result of his exciting fighting style and brutal knockouts, the Brazilian fighter has already headlined four UFC PPVs. And, by the looks of it, his stay in the company is only set to extend further.
Alex Pereira signs an 8-fight contract with the UFC
Recently, reports came out that Alex Pereira has signed a new contract with the UFC. It also makes sense for the company to lock down the talent for the long run, as he currently holds the light heavyweight title. Previously, UFC had an ugly situation with the former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and his contract. He ultimately left the company as the champion and went on to sign for PFL and fight Tyson Fury.
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While Dana White doesn’t share as confrontational of the relationship that he had with Ngannou, it is still a good business sense to lock down one of your best fighters to a long-term contract. While it doesn’t mean that Pereira will have to step inside the Octagon eight times, it does look like the 36-year-old will be with the UFC for the rest of his fighting career.
Speaking about it, Pereira added, “Starting this fight, there’s eight more… My relationship with the UFC is very good. I’m very grateful how the UFC and my management team get together. They’ve been doing great things together. I think the UFC also appreciates who I am because I’m a composed guy, I’m focused and I deliver.” (h/t via MMA Junkie)
Alex Pereira’s UFC salary revealed
Alex Pereira made his UFC debut against Andreas Michailidis at UFC 268. For his fight in the promotion, Pereira earned a base salary of $50,000. Although his total earnings from the fight was $154,000, the rest of the money came from a win bonus ($50,000), a performance bonus ($50,000), and a sponsorship bonus ($4,000). However, his salary had a significant boost as he became a champion.
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For his first-ever title fight against the then-middleweight Israel Adesanya at UFC 281, Poatan reportedly earned a base salary of $300,000. It was six times more than his first base salary in the company. His total earnings from the fight was $682,000 ($300,000 base salary and win bonus each, $50,000 in performance bonus, and $32,000 in sponsorships). Interestingly, as a champion, he earned a base salary of $1,000,000 at UFC 287 (total earnings, $1,767,000).
How much has Alex Pereira earned in his UFC career?
Alex Pereira reportedly has a net worth of $2 million. Despite a relatively short career, Pereira has headlined the iconic Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City twice. He will also headline the T-Mobile Arena for the first time at UFC 300 when he defends his 205lbs title against Jamahal Hill. Ahead of the bout, let’s take a look at his fight purses in the UFC so far.
As previously mentioned, Pereira earned $154,000 against Andreas Michailidis at UFC 268. Against Bruno Silva, he earned $104,000 at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev. In his third fight, the Brazilian champion earned $244,000 against Sean Strickland at UFC 276. Against the two bouts against Israel Adesanya, Pereira earned $682,000 and $1,767,000 at UFC 281 and UFC 287, respectively.
On his light heavyweight debut against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291, Alex earned $455,000 as per Marca. In his last bout, Pereira pocketed $1,182,000 against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295. In total, Pereira has earned $4,588,000. However, it is important to mention that these figures are estimates as UFC does not reveal the fighters’ salaries publicly.