UFC FREEDOM 250
Athletes
Alex Pereira | Always Available | UFC Freedom 250
Brazilian Superstar’s Journey As Much About Answering The Call As Anything Else | UFC Freedom 250 Presented by Crypto.com
“Your best ability is availability” is one of those coaching and mentorship axioms that gets shared at press conferences, rookie camps, and via Instagram posts relentlessly, and just like any other oft-heard bit of saccharine motivational speak, once you’ve heard it a couple of dozen times, it starts to make you wince each additional time it hits your ears.
Thing is, no truer words have been spoken in a sports setting because no matter how skilled you are, if you can’t play, nothing else matters. You have to be out there to make an impact, and if you can consistently answer the call, more and more opportunities are going to come your way. Ask any coach; they’ll tell you.
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Or just look at the meteoric and historic rise of Alex “Poatan” Pereira in the UFC.
Yes, the towering Brazilian was a two-division world champion kickboxer before transitioning to mixed martial arts and eventually landing in the Octagon. His history with Israel Adesanya expedited his rise up the ranks, but from the time he arrived in the promotion, Pereira has been one of the most reliable and available fighters on the roster, and he’s used each of those opportunities to elevate his profile, add to his legacy, and continue chasing down history.
And now he’s aiming to do it again at the White House.
“It means a lot for everything that I’ve done in the organization: all the work that I’ve put in, all the effort that I’ve put in,” Pereira said earlier this month. “You can see that the work was well done and opportunities keep showing up, so it’s just (another) opportunity for me.”
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The work was indeed always done well, and Pereira more often than naught garnered the results needed to take another big step forward, but he was also simply ready to go whenever the UFC came calling.
He fought every four months over his first 371 days as an active fighter, going from debuting to defeating Adesanya for the middleweight title. Their rematch took place five months later, and then three months after that, Pereira was debuting at light heavyweight with a win over Jan Błachowicz. After Jamahal Hill was forced to relinquish the title, “Poatan” was ready to step up and face Jiri Prochazka for the belt 364 days after he dethroned Adesanya.
Full Fight | Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev 2
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Full Fight | Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev 2
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In his first two years, Pereira fought seven times across two divisions, headlining three numbered events, and winning two titles, all while bouncing back from a knockout loss that would have derailed countless others. He followed that up by headlining UFC 300 opposite Hill and then defeated Prochazka in a rematch less than three months later to close out International Fight Week. The longest layoff he’s had since reaching the UFC — prior to his current hiatus — was between bouts with Magomed Ankalaev, and even that was seven months, which has become the norm for champions over the last several years.
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While some heavyweights may object to Pereira being hustled straight into a championship opportunity in his divisional debut, he’s earned the opportunity by fighting a dozen times in the last four years and putting on a show each time he makes the walk. He’s yet to withdraw from a fight, he’s delivered some of the most memorable finishes of the last couple of years, and 75 percent of his appearances have been championship main events.
Those kinds of things, that kind of reliability and availability, help carry you to the front of the line, and now Pereira wants to use this latest opportunity to not only try and make history but also share his rags-to-riches story as well.
“We deserve to be here. It’s another opportunity, a shot at history, but also (a chance) to show people my story,” said Pereira, who grew up in the favelas, dropped out of school, and developed a serious drinking problem by the time he was in his early 20s.
It wasn’t until 2009 that he took up kickboxing as a means to help him overcome his alcohol addiction. A decade later, he had developed into one of the sport’s biggest stars, and now, “Poatan” is a global superstar on the brink of accomplishing something no one else has even attempted thus far.
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“I have a beautiful story of overcoming, of going through difficulties,” he added, “and I want to be able to show people, for people to see the story that I’ve had throughout my life.”
Win or lose next month, what Pereira has achieved to this point in his UFC career is incredible, and while there is no denying that he is a tremendous competitor with otherworldly talents, he’s also been ready and willing to answer the call every time his phone has rang.
And cliché or not, the truth of the matter is that being available really does make a difference.
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