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Alex Pereira, set to face Jiří Procházka at UFC 295, is one of the greatest strikers in MMA history. The Brazilian knockout artist is a former two-division Glory kickboxing champion, the first-ever in the promotion. Furthermore, he possesses one of the deadliest left hooks ever seen across all combat sports.
Part of it is due to the breadth of knockout power at his disposal. The other, however, stems from his understanding that a left hook is a double-edged sword; for him to land one, his opponent must also be close enough to land a left hook of their own.
Thus, Pereira makes it a point to keep his shoulders squared and chest open. His retooling of the mechanics behind his left hook grants it a shorter, straighter arc than a traditional one. His always lands first. But 'Poatan' is not a one-trick pony. As a striker, he is a master of his craft, and his knockouts speak for themselves.
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While he has several, some stand above the rest as his very best.
#3. Alex Pereira vs. Andreas Michailidis, UFC 268
Back in 2021, Alex Pereira was a relatively unknown commodity in MMA circles. He was yet to have a UFC fight and had taken part in just four MMA bouts, winning three. Despite his inexperience in the sport, he was as good as one gets in an adjacent one: kickboxing.
So, for those who were aware of Pereira's background as a world champion kickboxer, a question crossed their minds. Can he defend takedowns? Both his critics and supporters got their answer on his UFC debut, which took place at UFC 268. At the time, Pereira's debut was overshadowed by the event headliner.
Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington were set to lock horns in a rematch for welterweight supremacy. But several fights before they stepped into the octagon, Alex Pereira faced Andreas Michailidis in the last fight of the undercard. In round one, 'Poatan's' inexperience was evident.
He was taken down and controlled for the majority of the first five minutes. While he was outwrestled, he survived, exiting round one with a plan. His opponent, Michailidis, though a serviceable fighter, was terrified of his left hook, having ducked under it in round one to score a takedown.
So, heading into round two, Alex Pereira wasted no time. Knowing that his foe was waiting for him to square his hips and throw a left hook so that he could duck under it with a reactive takedown, 'Poatan' applied immediate pressure and teased the left hook. Michailidis took the bait and ducked under.
Unfortunately for him, he unknowingly ducked into the path of a flying knee, his level change intercepted and chin crushed. Michailidis collapsed immediately and Pereira pounced with ground-and-pound. After several unanswered blows, referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the bout.
Alex Pereira walked off with a TKO win after just 18 seconds in round two, and the world now stood in wonder if he could work his way up to fight Israel Adesanya.
#2. Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya, UFC 281
The rivalry between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya is well-documented. Both men are former kickboxers, having faced each other twice in the sport, with 'Poatan' emerging victorious both times, first with a decision, then with one of the most devastating knockouts in kickboxing history.
Years later, the two men crossed swords in the octagon at UFC 281. At the time, Adesanya was the middleweight champion and had dominated the promotion's 185-pound weight class. Pereira, meanwhile, was a breath of fresh air and a potential break from the monotony of Adesanya's long reign. If he won, that is.
Their fight was a chess match. 'The Last Stylebender' is a highly mobile fighter, darting forward and backward like a fencer. If he's pressured toward the fence, he flattens out his stance and shuffles from side to side, moving in one direction, faking a move in another to draw out a punch, and then circling back into open space.
To counter this, Pereira pressured him toward the fence with combinations, then chopped at Adesanya's legs with low kicks to stifle his movement. In response, 'The Last Stylebender' began clinching his foe every time he was backed up to the fence, smothering 'Poatan's' offense.
Toward the end of the bout, however, Alex Pereira had made his reads. Every time Adesanya reached out with his hands to clinch, he left a space down the middle, through which Pereira could throw a right straight, so he did, rocking his rival to start the finishing sequence.
Dazed, the Nigerian-New Zealander again reached out with his hands through instinct. It was then that Alex Pereira stepped across his foe, slipped to the outside of Adesanya's extended arms, and unleashed a left hook that smashed into the open side of Adesanya's chin.
'The Last Stylebender' was rocked, stumbling on his feet as Pereira pounced with a combination before referee Marc Goddard mercifully stepped in to wave the fight off and award the Brazilian the TKO win.
#1. Alex Pereira vs. Sean Strickland, UFC 276
UFC 276 featured a middleweight title eliminator between Alex Pereira and Sean Strickland, both of whom went on to capture the middleweight title against Israel Adesanya. The brash, trash-talking American patriot recognized the danger that his foe, a former Glory kickboxing double champion, posed.
So when the two clashed, Strickland's defense was, as usual, on point. 'Tarzan' is extremely difficult to hit clean, often using the Philly Shell to deflect his opponent's blows with his shoulders and elbows. Furthermore, Strickland kept parrying many of the punches thrown his way.
So as he marched forward, Pereira quickly realized that he'd need another avenue for his left hook. Now knowing what his foe was expecting, he set a trap by stabbing him in the midsection with body jabs, drawing Strickland's hands low as the American tried parrying the blows.
After conditioning him to the setup, Alex Pereira darted forward as if to throw another body-jab. Sean Strickland dropped his hands to parry it, leaving his chin completely unprotected, only there was no body jab this time. Pereira uncorked a left hook over the top that left 'Tarzan' stumbling off his feet.
As he tried to gather his bearings and stand back up, he ate a right straight that sent him crashing into the canvas, awarding Pereira a first-round knockout and his most impressive one in MMA to date.
