Born out of São Bernardo do Campo, Alex ‘Poatan‘ Pereira literally embodies a ‘rags to riches’ story. Even though the 35-year-old has become a megastar in the realms of kickboxing and MMA, life wasn’t always this good for Pereira. Fans know him from fighting in renowned promotions like GLORY and UFC. However, the Brazilian has had a rough upbringing not known to most.
‘Poatan’ had to face extreme hardships while being raised in poverty. Pereira’s father was a bricklayer while his mother was a housewife. Due to poor conditions, Alex had to begin working at an early age. The heavy hitter found a job at a tire shop. It was at this point that Alex fell prey to alcoholism.
Fortunately, through hard work and support from loved ones, Alex successfully turned his life around. One such support in his life is his girlfriend who goes by the name of ‘Merle’. Even though the 35-year-old doesn’t speak much about his personal life in media scrums, he sure doesn’t mind posting about it on Instagram.
Who is Alex Pereira’s girlfriend Merle?
Unlike his peers, Alex Pereira shares a very small chunk of his personal life on social media. Despite this, fans and supporters are still in awe of the life he lives on a regular. This is partly due to the enigma and mystery he carries around himself, no matter where he goes.
As of 2023, ‘Poatan’ is rumored to be dating a TV presenter named Merle. Pereira mentions her as a ‘special person’ in his Instagram posts. Even though the two aren’t married yet, they can’t seem to get enough of each other. Fresh off of a divorce, Alex seems to have found a new love and visibly appears to be enjoying her company.
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In the above shown Instagram post, Pereira seems to be enjoying a helicopter ride with his lovely lady. However, the 33-year-old made a comment in Portuguese about his past. The comment translates, “Just to let the fans know I am divorced 1 year ago and live with my two children. And laughing for nothing 😁 😁❤️”
Prior to his recent posts, Alex has been spotted with the media presenter a few times, giving rise to early speculations about the two seeing each other. Merle has been often seen interviewing kickboxers from GLORY, an organization where Pereira has had an illustrious career. The meteoric rise to UFC’s top didn’t seem to change the relationship Merle shares with his ‘dear one.’
Is Alex Pereira married?
It is worth mentioning that Merle’s Instagram bio reads “Mrs. Poatan🌟”. However, the former GLORY kickboxing champion hasn’t confirmed the same. Perhaps Alex has purposely chosen not to reveal any information about his marital status. And the reason behind this might be his stern focus on achieving greatness in MMA, quite similar to what he did in kickboxing prior.
However, Pereira hasn’t stopped displaying an unseen side of his life to the fans. He gives fans a good glimpse into his personal life through his wholesome Instagram posts. Not many fans know that Merle also has a significant amount of interest in combat sports. When she is not interviewing kickboxers, Merle can be found attending UFC fight nights or even training boxing with the heavy hitter ‘Poatan’ himself.
Not much is known about educational qualifications or personal life of Merle. She keeps her Instagram account private and has a meager 77 followers at the time of this writing. However, if all goes well, Pereira fans speculate one day the two will tie the knot soon.