Athletes
Alex Pereira | Stand And Deliver
A Host Of 205ers Have Tried, And All Have Failed. Attempting To Stand And Trade With Undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira Is Damaging To Your Health
Alex Pereira returns to action at UFC 313 looking to rack up another defense of his undisputed light heavyweight title, and he's heading into the bout every bit as humble and grateful as he did when he first set foot in the Octagon.
Pereira arrived on MMA's biggest stage having already conquered the world of kickboxing by capturing world titles in two weight classes with the GLORY promotion. And, after a trio of fights in Brazil for the Jungle Fight promotion, then an eye-catching performance at LFA 95, Pereira joined the UFC. Since then, it's been full throttle for the Brazilian, whose rise to the top of the sport has been meteoric.
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It took him just three wins to earn a shot at Israel Adesanya at UFC 281, and his fifth-round stoppage of "The Last Stylebender" – an old adversary from their kickboxing days – saw him crowned the undisputed UFC middleweight champion in just his eighth professional MMA fight.
After Adesanya exacted revenge on Pereira in the rematch five months later, Pereira moved up to light heavyweight. Since then, he's been executing a one-man demolition job on the rest of the 205-pound division.
It's all happened in a remarkably short time frame for the 37-year-old, with his UFC debut coming in November 2021. Less than five years later, he has captured UFC titles in two weight classes, featured in six title fights and headlined six UFC pay-per-views, including two at Madison Square Garden, and the biggest event in UFC history, UFC 300.
They say the best ability is availability, and Pereira said that his willingness to take every opportunity presented to him has been crucial in his rise to the top of the sport.
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"I honestly didn't expect all of this, but I've always said that you got to be ready and you got to take your opportunities, and that's exactly what I did," he told UFC.com during fight week.
"I'm just a very focused guy, and I feel like I've had a lot of growth. I've had a lot of improvement and, thankfully, I was able to put in a great year like last year."
Pereira's rise has also seen him become a huge fan-favorite, with his spectacular fighting style and penchant for crushing knockouts, along with his stoic outward persona making him one of the most intriguing personalities in the sport.
He's allowed that personality to show more as his career has progressed, and now, heading into his first bout of 2025, he's undeniably one of the UFC's biggest stars.
"I'm very grateful for all the love I get from the fans," he said.
"I feel like I'm very welcome everywhere I go, and everyone wants to just really treat me very well anywhere I go.
"But this is the highest level of the sport. A lot of people are trying to get to this position, so I'm just really grateful."
The latest man to try to take his spot is Magomed Ankalaev, who he'll face in the main event of UFC 313 this weekend at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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It's a fight that presents arguably the most well-rounded challenge to his championship reign to date, and he's been preparing accordingly as he continues to round out his MMA game by constantly working on his mat skills alongside his tried and trusted striking techniques.
"I've really been training a lot of grappling since I left kickboxing," he said.
"You know, even before the UFC, I had a fight in LFA, so I knew that (wrestling and grappling) was something that was necessary, that I had to do, to be able to compete in MMA. So I've been focused a lot on that."
That work on the mats has helped improve his takedown defense, with "Poatan" heading into this weekend's bout with a 70 percent takedown defense. It's been good enough to ensure that the majority of the time, his opponents have had to deal with his elite standup skills. And, more often than not, that's been a striking mismatch in his favor.
During his light heavyweight run, Pereira has faced a string of strikers in the Octagon who, despite Pereira's decorated kickboxing credentials, have looked to back their own striking skills against him. Almost all of them have ended up getting finished.
And, with Ankalaev making similar noises about standing with the Brazilian knockout artist, Pereira can only shrug and point to his track record of putting people away when they stand with him.
"He's saying that he wants to strike with me, that he's not going to try to take me down," he said.
"But honestly, that's what all of my opponents have said.
"They all say that they want to strike with me. A couple of them tried to take me down, and I got right back up.
"But partly, I believe that's a little bit of an excuse, because it's easy to say, 'Oh, I did it. I went in there and I did exactly what I was going to do', but it's a lot harder to find me in there."
Alex Pereira | Top Finishes
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Alex Pereira | Top Finishes
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And while Pereira's striking defense rate of 55 percent shows that more often than not, his opponents' strikes fail to find their mark on him. It's his knockout power that sets him apart from the rest. As the old adage goes, he makes them miss, then makes them pay.
Ten of Pereira's 14 career wins in MMA have come via knockout, including each of his four title fights at light heavyweight so far.
He stopped former champion Jiri Prochazka with elbows in the second round at UFC 295 to capture the vacant 205-pound title at Madison Square Garden back in November 2023, then added three more title defenses in 2024 with a hat-trick of stoppage victories.
A vicious first-round knockout of another former champ, Jamahal Hill, closed the show at UFC 300 in spectacular fashion, while a rematch with Czech star Prochazka ended with another second-round finish – this time even faster than the first – as he stopped "BJP" 13 seconds after the restart at T-Mobile Arena at UFC 303.
Most recently, Pereira took on heavy-hitting contender Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. It was a bout that took Pereira past the third round for only the second time in his MMA career, but the ending was still a familiar one. After busting up the durable, determined Rountree, he eventually finished him late in the fourth round.
That took Pereira's active win streak to five, and his run of consecutive light heavyweight title defenses to three. Now he faces Ankalaev looking to complete a quartet of title defenses in less than 12 months.
The Dagestani contender is unbeaten in 13 fights and has just one defeat – a last-second submission to Paul Craig in his UFC debut – on his MMA record.
His first crack at championship gold ended in a controversial split draw against Jan Blachowicz after a bout that many scored for the Russian and, despite not losing since, it's taken him more than two years to get back to a title fight again.
With his mix of knockout striking power on the feet, and strong combat sambo-based ground game, Ankalaev poses the biggest threat to Pereira's reign. The champion, however, doesn't necessarily see it that way.
"I don't know if it's my biggest challenge. We'll see about that," said Pereira.
"I don't think he's my biggest challenge, but he's obviously well deserving. He put in all the work, and he deserves to be in the spot that he's in now."
Pereira's approach to his training and his fights is mirrored in how he deals with interviews. His answers are short, to the point, and lack any sort of ambiguity. He deals in certainties, and, for all of the talk about fighting styles and gameplans, all "Poatan" is interested in is winning, period.
"I just want to get out of there with the victory, he stated.
"It doesn't matter how it is. People always ask me for every fight, 'Oh, you're gonna knock him out?' Whatever. I never say it, because what's important is to go in there to fight well for five rounds and, most importantly, (for it) not to be a contested victory.
"I just want to come out there with a win."
UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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