Alex Pereira is set to get the maiden title shot of his MMA this career at UFC 281. He will have the chance to fight for the UFC middleweight title against Israel Adesanya on November 12th. During his kickboxing days, Alex beat Adesanya twice and once via KO. So how good was Poatan as a kickboxer? Let’s find out!
Brazil’s Alex Pereira is a former GLORY Middleweight and Light Heavyweight fighter. During his stint at GLORY, Pereira had won the Glory middleweight and light heavyweight championships.
Pereira currently competes in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The fighter has also taken part in promotions like It’s Showtime, Legacy Fighting Alliance, and SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship.
Pereira trains at the Teixeira MMA & Fitness gym in Bethel, Connecticut with current UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira. Teixeira is a friend and training partner of ‘Po Atan’.
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Alex Pereira: Kickboxing record, Professional MMA record
Alex Pereira has a stellar experience of more than forty kickboxing fights in his career. The veteran holds a distinguished record of 33 wins(21 by KO) and 7 losses in his professional kickboxing career. In the year 2013, Pereira made his professional Kickboxing debut at W.A.K.O World Championships 2013, where he defeated Selby Devereux.
Alex Pereira won the GLORY World Middleweight Championship in 2017 when he defeated Simon Marcus via a unanimous decision at GLORY 46:China. Later, Pereira faced Artem Vakhitov for the Glory Light Heavyweight title at Glory 77. Pereira won the fight by split decision, becoming the first fighter in GLORY history to simultaneously hold two belts at the same time.
Pereira made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2015 against Quemuel Ottoni. He ended up losing the fight via submission. Later, Pereira signed with Legacy Fighting Alliance and then made his promotional debut against Thomas Powell in 2020. He won the fight via knockout in round one. In 2021, Pereira signed with the UFC and made his UFC debut against Andreas Michailidis at UFC 268. He won the fight via TKO early in round two.
He then beat Bruno Silva and Sean Strickland in his next two bouts. Although his win over Bruno Silva was a tough one, Pereira knocked out Strickland in a brutal manner to earn a title shot against Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. Pereira currently has an MMA record of 6-1 in 7 bouts.
The ‘Poatan’ has beaten UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya twice
Alex Pereira is best known for being one of the select few to have bested ‘The Last Stylebender’. During his Glory of Heroes run Pereira achieved his most famous victories, defeating the future UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya twice.
Pereira’s first encounter with Adesanya came in April 2016 at Glory of Heroes 1. ‘Poatan’ outworked Adesanya to earn a unanimous decision victory after three rounds. A year later, the duo met again at Glory of Heroes 7. The rematch proved to be a more decisive win for Pereira, who handed Adesanya his first knockout loss. The Brazilian connected with a clubbing left hook, sending Adesanya’s lifeless body crashing into the canvas.
Alex Pereira’s UFC Fight Purse
Alex Pereira made his UFC debut at UFC 268 against Andreas Michailidis. There was a lot of hype behind Alex Pereira going into his first UFC fight as he is the only fighter to knock out the current middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya.
Pereira secured a second-round TKO win in his first UFC fight against Andreas Michailidis and earned a fight purse of $134,000 ($40,000 to show, $40,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $4,000 fight week incentive pay).
The 35-year-old’s second UFC bout was against Bruno Silva on March 12th against Bruno Silva. earned a total of $77,000. He earned $36,000 each to show up and win. Pereira also earned $5,000 from his sponsorship deals. His last bout was at UFC 276, against Sean Strickland. As per MMA Salaries, Pereira earned $90,000 to make the walk to the Octagon and $90,000 more as a win bonus. He earned $60,000 as a post-fight bonus and $4,000 from sponsorship deals.
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