Alex Pereira

Alex Sandro Silva Pereira (born 7 July 1987) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Middleweight Champion. He is the ninth fighter in UFC history to become champion in two different weight divisions and the first to become champion in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the organization. In kickboxing, he is a former Glory middleweight and light heavyweight champion, and is the first and only fighter to have held Glory titles in two weight classes simultaneously. Pereira also competed in promotions such as It's Showtime and SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship in kickboxing, and for Jungle Fight and Legacy Fighting Alliance in MMA. 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.

Pereira was ranked #1 in the kickboxing middleweight and light-heavyweight rankings in February 2021.

Early life
Growing up in a favela, Pereira dropped out of middle school to begin working as a bricklayer's assistant and later in a tire shop. Influenced by his colleagues, he began drinking and eventually became an alcoholic. In 2009, he began training kickboxing in order to get rid of his addiction.

Kickboxing career
He won the Glory 14: Zagreb - Middleweight Contender Tournament in Zagreb, Croatia on 8 March 2014, beating Dustin Jacoby by first-round knockout in the semi-finals and Sahak Parparyan by majority decision in the final.

It was announced during the Glory 15: Istanbul broadcast that Pereira would be one of eight fighters competing in the Glory 17: Los Angeles - Last Man Standing middleweight tournament in Inglewood, California, United States on 21 June 2014. He lost to eventual champion Artem Levin by unanimous decision in the quarter-finals to exit the tournament.

He was scheduled to fight a rematch with César Almeida during WGP Kickboxing 25 for the vacant belt WGP Middleweight title. He defeated Almeida by decision. He defended his WGP KB title with a second-round KO of Maycon Silva at WGP KB 40.

In his next five fights, Pereira went on a 4–1 run, losing only to the pound for pound great Artur Kyshenko. During this run Pereira achieved his most famous victories, defeating the future UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya twice: once by unanimous decision, and once by a counter left hook KO.

Pereira won the Glory Middleweight title with a unanimous decision win against Simon Marcus at Glory 46: China.

Glory Middleweight Championship
Pereira met Yousri Belgaroui at the Glory 40 and Glory 49 Superfight Series, and then in 2018 in New York Madison Square Garden at the Glory 55 for the Middleweight Title Match, where Belgaroui had received the overhand right knockout at 2:29 of Round 1. For Pereira, it was the 28th career victory and the sixth inside the Glory ring.

In November 2018, Pereira said he would pursue MMA career after his contract with Glory will expire in April 2019. Eventually, Pereira re-signed with Glory with possibility to fight in the mixed martial arts also.

After four straight successful Glory middleweight title defenses (against Yousri Belgaroui, Simon Marcus and Jason Wilnis),  Pereira moved up to fight Donegi Abena for the interim Glory Light Heavyweight Championship at Glory 68. Pereira won the fight via knockout in the third round, becoming the first double champion in Glory history.

After winning the Light Heavyweight Championship, Pereira opted to defend his middleweight title against Ertugrul Bayrak at Glory Collision 2 on 21 December 2019. After largely dominating the first round, he won the bout via knockout at the end of the round.

Glory Light Heavyweight Championship
Pereira was scheduled to challenge 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 was later stripped of his Middleweight title.

Pereira rematched Artem Vakhitov at Glory 78: Rotterdam in his first title defense. He lost the rematch by majority decision. Pereira was deducted one point in round 4 due to repeated clinching, which was seen by many as a controversial decision by the referee.

Early career
Transitioning from kickboxing, Pereira made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2015 at Jungle Fight 82 against Quemuel Ottoni, losing the fight via submission. He continued at Jungle Fight subsequently racking up two straight victories against Marcelo Cruz and Marcus Vinicius Silveira, with a KO and TKO respectively. Pereira announced he had signed a contract to face Diego Henrique da Silva in the Brazilian edition of Dana White's Contender Series on August 10, 2018. However, the bout never materialized as Glory did not permit Pereira to compete.

On 22 October 2020, news surfaced that Pereira had signed a contract with Legacy Fighting Alliance and he then made his promotional debut against Thomas Powell on 20 November 2020. He won the fight via knockout in round one.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
On 3 September 2021, Pereira signed with the UFC. He made his promotional debut against Andreas Michailidis on 6 November 2021, at UFC 268. He won the fight via technical knock out in round two. This win earned him a Performance of the Night award.

Pereira faced Bruno Silva on 12 March 2022, at UFC Fight Night 203. Pereira outstruck Silva for all three rounds and won the fight via unanimous decision.

Pereira was scheduled to face Sean Strickland on 30 July 2022, at UFC 277. However, the promotion decided to move the pairing to UFC 276 on 2 July 2022. Pereira won the fight after knocking Strickland out in the first round. This win earned him a Performance of the Night award, and Crypto.com Fan Bonus of the Night third place award which paid in bitcoin of US$10,000.

UFC Middleweight Championship
Pereira faced Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship on 12 November 2022, at UFC 281. He won the bout via technical knockout in the fifth round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

A rematch between Pereira and Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship took place on 8 April 2023, at UFC 287. He lost the bout via knockout in the final minute of round two.

Move to Light Heavyweight
On 13 April 2023, Pereira announced via Twitter that he was moving up to the Light Heavyweight division.

Pereira faced former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz on 29 July 2023 at UFC 291. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision.

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Pereira faced former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship belt on 11 November 2023, at UFC 295. He won the bout via TKO stoppage in the second round to win the title. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award. This victory made Pereira the 9th fighter in UFC history to become champion in two different weight divisions.

Pereira made his first title defence against former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, on 13 April 2024, at UFC 300. He won the fight by knockout in the first round after a left hook.

On two weeks notice, replacing the main event bout between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor, who was injured, Pereira faced Jiří Procházka in a rematch on 29 June 2024, at UFC 303. After knocking Prochazka down in the last second of the first round with a left hook, he was able to win the bout with a head kick knockdown followed by punches early in the second round. This fight earned him another $50,000 Performance of the Night award. On an interview, Pereira's coach later revealed that Pereira received a $303,000 bonus for his performance at UFC 303.

Personal life
Pereira has two sons with his ex-wife.

Pereira has indigenous ancestry from the Pataxó tribe. His nickname "Poatan" means "Stone Hands" in the Tupi language, which however is not the ethnic language of the Pataxó. The nickname was given to him by his first kickboxing trainer Belocqua Wera, who was also responsible for helping Pereira discover his indigenous ancestry.

He has a younger sister, Aline Pereira, who competes for Glory and had her MMA debut on 18 November 2022.

Mixed martial arts

 *  Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time, current) 
 * Two successful title defenses
 * Shortest time and fewest bouts to win championships in two divisions in UFC history (736 days/7 bouts)
 * UFC Middleweight Championship (One time)
 * First and only fighter to win the UFC Middleweight and Light Heavyweight championships
 * Fewest MMA bouts to become a two-division UFC champion (11 bouts)
 * Performance of the Night (Five times) vs. Andreas Michailidis, Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya 1, and Jiří Procházka x2
 * Fourth highest significant strike percentage in UFC history (62.8%)
 * Latest knockout in a UFC Middleweight fight (2:01 of R5 vs Israel Adesanya 1)
 * Holds wins over five former UFC champions — Israel Adesanya,  Sean Strickland,   Jan Błachowicz  , Jiří Procházka and Jamahal Hill in first 8 UFC fights.
 * 2024 Half-Year Awards: Best Fighter of the 1HY
 * MMAjunkie.com
 * 2022 July Knockout of the Month vs. Sean Strickland
 * 2022 Male Fighter of the Year
 * 2022 Breakout Fighter of the Year
 * ESPN
 * 2022 Male Fighter of the Year
 * Sherdog
 * 2022 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
 * 2022 Fighter of the Year
 * MMA Fighting
 * 2022 Male Fighter of the Year
 * Sports Illustrated
 * 2022 Breakout Fighter of the Year
 * Yahoo! Sports
 * 2022 Male Fighter of the Year
 * MMA Mania
 * 2022 Fighter of the Year
 * Combat Press
 * 2022 Male Fighter of the Year
 * World MMA Awards
 * 2023 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

Kickboxing
Professional
 * Glory
 * 2023 Glory Hall of Fame Inductee
 * 2021 Glory Light Heavyweight Champion
 * 2019 Glory interim Light Heavyweight Champion
 * 2017 Glory Middleweight Champion (five defenses)
 * 2014 Glory Middleweight Contender Tournament Winner
 * WGP Kickboxing
 * 2015 WGP Kickboxing Middleweight Champion
 * 2012 WGP -85 kg/187 lb Championship
 * World Association of Kickboxing Organizations
 * 2013 WAKO Pro Panamerican K-1 -85 kg/187 lb Champion
 * Jungle Fight
 * 2012 Jungle Fight Middleweight Champion

Amateur
 * World Association of Kickboxing Organizations
 * 2013 silver medal in WAKO World Championships in Guaruja, Brasil K-1 -91 kg

Awards
 * Glory
 * Glory Fighter of the Year 2019


 * Combat Press
 * 2017 Fight of the Year (vs. Israel Adesanya)
 * 2019 Knockout of the Year (vs. Jason Wilnis)

Kickboxing record
! style=background:white colspan=9 |Loses the Glory Light Heavyweight Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins the Glory Light Heavyweight Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Defends the Glory Middleweight Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins the interim Glory Light Heavyweight Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Defends the Glory Middleweight Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Defends the Glory Middleweight Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Defends the Glory Middleweight Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Defends the Glory Middleweight Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins the Glory Middleweight Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Defends the WGP Kickboxing -85 kg title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins the vacant WGP Kickboxing -85 kg title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins the Glory Middleweight Contender Tournament. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins the WAKO Pro Panamerican -85 kg/187 lb Championship K-1 Rules. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Fight was for vacant It's Showtime 85MAX Championship. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins the WGP Kickboxing -85 kg title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins the Brazilian -85 kg/187 lb Championship K-1 Rules.
 * - style="background:#fbb;"
 * 2021-09-04 || Loss ||align=left|🇷🇺 Artem Vakhitov || Glory 78: Rotterdam || Rotterdam, Netherlands || Decision (Majority) || 5 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2021-01-30 || Win ||align=left|🇷🇺 Artem Vakhitov || Glory 77: Rotterdam || Rotterdam, Netherlands || Decision (Split) || 5 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2019-12-21|| Win||align=left|🇹🇷 Ertugrul Bayrak || Glory Collision 2 || Arnhem, Netherlands || KO (Left Hook) || 1 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2019-09-28|| Win ||align=left|🇸🇷 Donegi Abena || Glory 68: Miami || Miami, United States || KO (Left Hook) || 3 || 2:08
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2019-05-17|| Win ||align=left| Jason Wilnis || Glory 65: Utrecht || Utrecht, Netherlands || KO (Left Flying Knee) || 1 || 1:31
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2018-09-14|| Win ||align=left|🇨🇦 Simon Marcus || Glory 58: Chicago || Chicago, United States || Decision (Unanimous) || 5 || 3:00
 * 2018-09-14|| Win ||align=left|🇨🇦 Simon Marcus || Glory 58: Chicago || Chicago, United States || Decision (Unanimous) || 5 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2018-07-20|| Win ||align=left|🇹🇳 Yousri Belgaroui || Glory 55: New York || New York, United States || KO (Right Hook) || 1 || 2:16
 * 2018-07-20|| Win ||align=left|🇹🇳 Yousri Belgaroui || Glory 55: New York || New York, United States || KO (Right Hook) || 1 || 2:16
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2017-12-09|| Win ||align=left|🇹🇳 Yousri Belgaroui || Glory 49: Rotterdam || Rotterdam, Netherlands || TKO (Doctor Stoppage) || 3 || 1:54
 * 2017-12-09|| Win ||align=left|🇹🇳 Yousri Belgaroui || Glory 49: Rotterdam || Rotterdam, Netherlands || TKO (Doctor Stoppage) || 3 || 1:54
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2017-10-14|| Win ||align=left|🇨🇦 Simon Marcus || Glory 46: China || Guangzhou, China || Decision (Unanimous)|| 5 || 3:00
 * 2017-10-14|| Win ||align=left|🇨🇦 Simon Marcus || Glory 46: China || Guangzhou, China || Decision (Unanimous)|| 5 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2017-09-16|| Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Maycon Silva || WGP Kickboxing 40 || Paraná, Brazil || KO (Left Hook)|| 2 || 2:00
 * 2017-09-16|| Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Maycon Silva || WGP Kickboxing 40 || Paraná, Brazil || KO (Left Hook)|| 2 || 2:00
 * - bgcolor= "#FFBBBB"
 * 2017-04-29 || Loss ||align=left|🇹🇳 Yousri Belgaroui || Glory 40: Copenhagen, Final ||Copenhagen, Denmark || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2017-04-29 || Win ||align=left|🇦🇱 Burim Rama || Glory 40: Copenhagen, Semi Final || Copenhagen, Denmark || TKO (Right Hook) || 3 || 1:42
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2017-03-04 || Win||align=left| Israel Adesanya || Glory of Heroes 7 || Sao Paulo, Brazil || KO (Left Hook)|| 3 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#FFBBBB"
 * 2016-07-31 || Loss ||align=left|🇺🇦 Artur Kyshenko || Kunlun Fight 48 || Jining, China || TKO (Punches) || 2 || 2:55
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2016-05-08 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Junior Alpha || WGP Kickboxing 30 || Brazil || KO (Right Hook) || 4 || N/A
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2016-04-02 || Win ||align=left| Israel Adesanya || Glory of Heroes 1 || China || Decision (Unanimous) || 5 || N/A
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2015-07-25 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 César Almeida || WGP Kickboxing 25 || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision || 5 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2016-05-08 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Junior Alpha || WGP Kickboxing 30 || Brazil || KO (Right Hook) || 4 || N/A
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2016-04-02 || Win ||align=left| Israel Adesanya || Glory of Heroes 1 || China || Decision (Unanimous) || 5 || N/A
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2015-07-25 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 César Almeida || WGP Kickboxing 25 || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision || 5 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2015-07-25 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 César Almeida || WGP Kickboxing 25 || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision || 5 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2015-07-25 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 César Almeida || WGP Kickboxing 25 || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision || 5 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor="#FFBBBB"
 * 2015-04-03 || Loss ||align=left| Jason Wilnis || Glory 20: Dubai - Middleweight Contender Tournament, Semi Finals || Dubai, UAE || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2014-12-20 || Win ||align=left|🇨🇱 Ivan Galaz || WGP Kickboxing 24 || São Paulo, Brazil ||TKO (Three Knockdowns) || 2 || N/A
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2014-09-27 || Win ||align=left|🇨🇦 Robert Thomas || WGP Kickboxing 22 || Brazil || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor="#FFBBBB"
 * 2014-06-21 || Loss ||align=left|🇷🇺 Artem Levin || Glory 17: Los Angeles - Middleweight Last Man Standing Tournament, Quarter Finals || Inglewood, California, USA || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2014-04-26 || Win ||align=left|🇷🇺 Aleksandr Dmitrenko|| WGP SUPER 4 || São Paulo, Brazil ||Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2014-03-08 || Win ||align=left|🇦🇲 Sahak Parparyan || Glory 14: Zagreb - Middleweight Contender Tournament, Final || Zagreb, Croatia ||Decision (Majority) || 3 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2014-04-26 || Win ||align=left|🇷🇺 Aleksandr Dmitrenko|| WGP SUPER 4 || São Paulo, Brazil ||Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2014-03-08 || Win ||align=left|🇦🇲 Sahak Parparyan || Glory 14: Zagreb - Middleweight Contender Tournament, Final || Zagreb, Croatia ||Decision (Majority) || 3 || 3:00
 * 2014-03-08 || Win ||align=left|🇦🇲 Sahak Parparyan || Glory 14: Zagreb - Middleweight Contender Tournament, Final || Zagreb, Croatia ||Decision (Majority) || 3 || 3:00
 * - bgcolor= "#CCFFCC"
 * 2014-03-08 ||Win ||align=left|🇺🇸 Dustin Jacoby || Glory 14: Zagreb - Middleweight Contender Tournament, Semi Finals || Zagreb, Croatia || KO (Left Hook) || 1 || 2:02
 * - bgcolor="#FFBBBB"
 * 2013-12-21 || Loss ||align=left|🇧🇷 César Almeida || WGP Kickboxing 17, Final || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision || 3 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2013-12-21 || Win ||align=left| Camilo Ferraz || WGP Kickboxing 17, Semi Final || São Paulo, Brazil || KO (Right Knee) || 1 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2013-08-24 || Win ||align=left|🇦🇷 Matías Adaro || WGP Kickboxing 15 || São Paulo, Brazil || KO (Right Cross) || 2 || N/A
 * 2013-12-21 || Win ||align=left| Camilo Ferraz || WGP Kickboxing 17, Semi Final || São Paulo, Brazil || KO (Right Knee) || 1 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2013-08-24 || Win ||align=left|🇦🇷 Matías Adaro || WGP Kickboxing 15 || São Paulo, Brazil || KO (Right Cross) || 2 || N/A
 * 2013-08-24 || Win ||align=left|🇦🇷 Matías Adaro || WGP Kickboxing 15 || São Paulo, Brazil || KO (Right Cross) || 2 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2013-03-23 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 César Almeida || SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes 2 || São Caetano, Brazil || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#FFBBBB"
 * 2012-11-10 || Loss ||align=left| Jason Wilnis || It's Showtime 60 || São Paulo, Brazil || TKO (Retirement) || 2 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#FFBBBB"
 * 2012-11-10 || Loss ||align=left| Jason Wilnis || It's Showtime 60 || São Paulo, Brazil || TKO (Retirement) || 2 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2012-09-16 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Felipe Micheletti || WGP Kickboxing 9 || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2012-07-07 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Clei Silva || WGP Kickboxing, Final || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision || 3 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2012-07-07 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Clei Silva || WGP Kickboxing, Final || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision || 3 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2012-07-07 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Fabio Alberto || WGP Kickboxing, Semi finals || São Paulo, Brazil || KO || 1 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2012-03-31 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Clei Silva || Jungle Fight 37 || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || N/A
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2012-03-31 || Win ||align=left|🇧🇷 Clei Silva || Jungle Fight 37 || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || N/A

! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins W.A.K.O. World Championship '13 K-1 Silver Medal -91 kg.
 * - bgcolor="#FFBBBB"
 * 2013-10 || Loss ||align=left| Sergej Maslobojev || W.A.K.O World Championships 2013, K-1 Final -91 kg || Guaruja, Brasil || Decision || 3 || 2:00
 * 2013-10 || Loss ||align=left| Sergej Maslobojev || W.A.K.O World Championships 2013, K-1 Final -91 kg || Guaruja, Brasil || Decision || 3 || 2:00
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2013-10 || Win ||align=left|🇮🇹 Mattia Faraoni || W.A.K.O World Championships 2013, K-1 Semi Finals -91 kg || Guaruja, Brasil || Decision (Split) ||3 || 2:00
 * - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
 * 2013-10 || Win ||align=left|🇳🇿 Selby Devereux || W.A.K.O World Championships 2013, K-1 Quarter Finals -91 kg || Guaruja, Brasil || Knockout|| N/A || N/A
 * colspan=9 | Legend:
 * 2013-10 || Win ||align=left|🇳🇿 Selby Devereux || W.A.K.O World Championships 2013, K-1 Quarter Finals -91 kg || Guaruja, Brasil || Knockout|| N/A || N/A
 * colspan=9 | Legend:
 * colspan=9 | Legend: