Alex Pereira has quickly become one of MMA's biggest stars, in short order no less. 'Poatan' came into the sport as a longtime rival of former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, and wasn't expected to be little more than a footnote in 'The Last Stylebender's' story.
Instead, Pereira has gone on to author one of the most fascinating tales that combat sports has ever seen. Not long after signing with the UFC, the Brazilian knockout artist became a notable name. Now, with UFC 300 over, he has been described by fans as a fighter on a speed-run to the UFC Hall of Fame.
Given what has transpired in his still young MMA career, it is easy to see why. In fact, with context, Pereira's UFC career resembles a movie, his greatest accomplishments the imagined feats on a script meant to capture the imagination. And it has.
#5 Alex Pereira's UFC run began in response to a taunt
The vision of man sitting in the comfort of his own home, watching an old rival who has achieved worldwide fame disparage him on television is one that has been in several films. That Alex Pereira responded to Israel Adesanya's disrespect by chasing him in a new sport is nothing short of an action movie cliché.
It culminated in a championship bout wherein the then inexperienced Pereira mounted a gutsy comeback to TKO Adesanya in the fifth and final round is an example of plot armor, only in real life.
Check out Alex Pereira TKO'ing Israel Adesanya at UFC 281:
This is especially true given that in beating Adesanya at UFC 281, 'Poatan' became both the UFC middleweight champion and the first man to beat Adesanya at 185 pounds.
#4. Alex Pereira trained Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya tried to help Jamahal Hill
The poetic nature of Alex Pereira's rivalry with Israel Adesanya is prominent. After moving up to light heavyweight, 'Poatan' trained with Sean Strickland, whom he had previously beaten to earn a crack at Adesanya's then middleweight title. This time, it was Strickland who was set to take on Adesanya.
Following his training sessions with Pereira, Strickland went on to become the second man to beat Adesanya at middleweight, authoring one of the greatest upsets in UFC history. Though when 'The Last Stylebender' tried to assist Jamahal Hill with advice for the latter's UFC 300 bout with 'Poatan,' it backfired.
Pereira flatlined Hill in the first round, defending the 205-pound title. In short, Pereira trained the only other man who beat Adesanya at middleweight, then knocked out the man his rival tried to help beat him.
#3 Alex Pereira avenged his mentor, Glover Teixeira
Glover Teixeira's tenure as the light heavyweight champion was short-lived, as he lost the belt to Jiří Procházka in his first title defense, and then after it had been vacated, failed to regain it in a bout with Jamahal Hill. Alex Pereira, who is Teixeira's pupil, stepped up to defend his honor.
He took on Procházka at UFC 295, TKO'ing him in round two to capture the light heavyweight strap, which had again been vacated prior. Then, he faced Hill, whose confidence in beating Pereira was overstated in both interviews and on social media.
Check out Alex Pereira knocking out Jamahal Hill:
The pair clashed at UFC 300 and it couldn't have gone better for Pereira, who brushed off a groin kick from his foe, silently halted Herb Dean's attempt to call for a brief time out, needing no recovery, then sniped Hill mid-punch with a left hook, knocking him down, before knocking him out with ground-and-pound.
Thus, those who crushed Teixeira's world title dreams were punished.
#2 Alex Pereira has beaten five UFC champions in 8 fights
Most fighters who sign with the UFC are often given a slower and easier path to the top. Even all-time greats like Khabib Nurmagomedov did not face elite competition until later into his UFC run. The same, however, cannot be said for Alex Pereira, who has beaten multiple UFC champions in record time.
In just his third fight in the promotion, and seventh MMA fight overall, he knocked out future middleweight champion Sean Strickland. He followed his win by TKO'ing Israel Adesanya, dethroning him as the 185-pound champion at UFC 281. While he subsequently lost the belt in a rematch, his run of form continued.
He moved up to light heavyweight, beating the division's former champion, Jan Błachowicz, via split-decision, before beating two more former champions in Jiří Procházka and Jamahal Hill. In just 8 UFC fights, 'Poatan' has beaten five UFC champions, four of whom he either knocked out or TKO'd.
#1 Alex Pereira has beaten everyone else who has beaten Israel Adesanya, and achieved what he couldn't
Not only did Alex Pereira become the first man to defeat Israel Adesanya at middleweight, but he also defeated the only other fighters to have ever bested 'The Last Stylebender.' He famously knocked out Sean Strickland, who went on to beat Adesanya in an all-time great upset.
Furthermore, he made his light heavyweight debut against Jan Błachowicz, defeating him via split-decision. The Polish power-puncher, for reference, is the first man to have ever beaten Adesanya in MMA. To add insult to his journey of proving his superiority to Adesanya, Pereira also achieved what his rival couldn't.
Adesanya tried to become a two-division champion, but failed to capture the light heavyweight title. Meanwhile, Pereira is the reigning light heavyweight champion, having accomplished a task too tall for 'The Last Stylebender.'
