Athletes
Champ Alex Pereira A Scary Proposition Heading Into UFC 300 Main Event
Former Middleweight Titleholder Eschews Talk Of Records, Legacy Ahead Of Light Heavyweight Title Clash With Hill On Saturday
When Alex Pereira was competing at middleweight, many would marvel at how the statuesque Brazilian could chisel himself down to the 185-pound limit ahead of each contest, unsure how a fighter of his size and thickness could do such a thing.
Now that he’s standing atop the light heavyweight division and poised to defend his title opposite former champion Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC 300, even “Poatan” has to admit that he’s not quite sure how he used to fight in his previous weight class.
“We talk about that sometimes: how did I make 185?” the champion said through a translator, acknowledging the impressive feat that allowed him to garner his first of two UFC titles. “I don’t even know because now I’m cutting half of what I was cutting, but I’m cutting what there is to cut.
“Before, I was cutting when there was nothing else to cut, so definitely a lot more comfortable and a lot healthier.”
The six-foot-four combat sports standout never missed weight during his middleweight run, but certainly looked more comfortable on the scale when he transitioned to light heavyweight last July. He was still menacing, still a powerful figure to contend with, and after just two fights, had risen to the top of the division.
Winning a title in two weight classes as quickly as he did rightfully garnered a ton of attention, as Pereira achieved the feat in just 736 days, nearly twice as fast as the previous record-holder for the accomplishment, Conor McGregor, who completed the double 1,317 days after his promotional debut.
But the question of how he was able to compete at middleweight in the first place remained an oft-asked question, even within his own team.
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“The (Jan) Błachowicz fight, he was a big guy, he had power to knock out light heavyweights, but he wasn’t really the weight of a 205’er,” said Plinio Cruz, who is both one of the champion’s coaches and his all-around right hand man. “He was super-strong, but for the (Jiri) Prochazka fight, for this fight right now, brother, he’s unbelievable.
“I’ve never seen him in shape like he looks now; this technical, this sharp,” he added. “I think he’s fighting in his correct weight class, and what I see of him now, I cannot believe he ever made middleweight.”
While Pereira does engage in the playful wondering about how he used to compete in the middleweight ranks, all the other talk about his legacy, his rapid achievements, and the incredible success he’s enjoyed through his first seven UFC appearances is simply background noise to the laser-focused titleholder.
“A lot of people talk about those facts, and honestly, I don’t even look at it; I don’t know the numbers, I don’t look into that stuff,” said Pereira, who has amassed a 6-1 record inside the Octagon, with four of those victories coming against individuals that held championship gold at some point during their time in the promotion. “I’ll hear about it later, but it really doesn’t matter to me.
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“I’m going in there — I know the fight that I want to have and I’m going in there to do my fight.
“Is it cool? Is it great?” he asked rhetorically. “Yeah, it’s great to have wins over those kinds of people, but in the end, I’m going in there to do my fight and those stats don’t mean much.”
What does mean something to the champion is the honor of headlining this weekend’s momentous pay-per-view event, both from a personal and professional standpoint.
Main Event Preview | UFC 300
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“It’s very important; UFC 100 and 200 and 300 are massive, so it’s really important for me to be able to be a part of this,” said Pereira. “Especially because when I came in, a lot of critics, a lot of fighters, a lot of people said I wouldn’t be able to amount to anything; that I was a one-dimensional kickboxer.
“I proved all of those people wrong, and here I am headlining UFC 300.”
Though the incredible statistics and accolades he’s piling up mean little to Pereira, he can add to them while proving someone else wrong on Saturday night in Las Vegas, as Pereira headlines the promotion’s tricentennial event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, facing off with Hill in a showdown between the last two men to hold the light heavyweight title.
UFC 300 COUNTDOWN: Full Episode | Pereira vs Hill | Zhang vs Yan | Gaethje vs Holloway
Like Prochazka before him, Hill never lost the belt in competition, but rather was forced to relinquish the title after suffering an injury that would leave him sidelined for an extended period of time. Prior to his injury, the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate had earned four straight victories, claiming the throne with a unanimous decision win over Pereira’s lead corner, Glover Teixeira, at UFC 283 at the beginning of last year.
Confident and eager to prove he’s the better man, Hill has spent much of the preamble to this fight praising the champion’s overall resume in combat sports while simultaneously referring to him as a “steward,” someone that is essentially keeping the throne warm in his absence.
The way Hill sees things, Pereira has one way to beat him, and even then, his much-discussed power and overall striking acumen may not be enough to earn him a victory.
“Talking is a strategy a lot of times, and that’s what he’s doing,” the champion said when asked about Hill’s comments. “I’ve been able to pick up on what his game plan will be from what he’s been saying. I could be wrong, but this is what I have been reading into what he’s been saying. I’m not worried about it.
“I saw he was doing a video call with Adesanya,” he added, referencing a conversation that Hill acknowledged took place between he and the former middleweight champion, who has faced Pereira four times across two disciplines. “Honestly, it needed to be on video because if he goes over there to train with Adesanya, Adesanya is gonna kick his a**, break his leg, and he’s not gonna be able to fight, so I’m glad they did it over video.”
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It’s difficult to tell because Pereira walks the Earth with “resting angry face” and an intense focus at all times, but it’s clear in the tone of the champion’s voice, the force in which he spoke about Hill’s comments and video session with Adesanya that there is a little something more to this one than previous engagements.
Whether it’s the magnitude of the moment, the opportunity to add to his already stellar resume, or some combination of both with a couple other things sprinkled in for seasoning, the champion is clearly dialled in, to the point where Teixeira summed up how his charge looked in just a single word.
“Scary — that’s the word; scary,” he said when asked about the two-division champion ahead of this weekend’s main event. “Alex is scary right now.”
UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 13, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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