UFC 300 headliner Alex Pereira had yet to try martial arts at the time of UFC 100

mixed martial arts

by scott fontana

We all know what Alex Pereira will do at UFC 300. The main event concludes a milestone night in Las Vegas.

That's a lot different than what he was doing around UFC 100, which was training for martial arts.

“In 2009, I hadn't really started training seriously yet,” Pereira recently told the Post in a video call via interpreter Plinio Cruz, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach. “I had never even trained for soccer or anything. In late 2009 I started getting serious about martial arts.”

It's clear that July 11, 2009 was a long time ago, and since Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir in a long-awaited rematch, the events that have transpired in the intervening years have drawn young men and women to the sport. It's becoming more and more common. Won the heavyweight title in that tent pole event.

But Pereira is not a 20-something rookie fighter who started his MMA journey as a child. The UFC light heavyweight champion turns 37 this summer. For the past 15 years, the former middleweight titleholder has dominated both kickboxing and the UFC.

When “Poitan” came to the world of martial arts, it wasn't to pursue the glory he achieved.

Pereira was struggling with alcoholism and just looking for a way to get his life back on track.

The road to sobriety was not a smooth one. Pereira says he hasn't had a drink since around 2013, the year before he began competing for kickboxing glory. But even now, despite his poverty, Pereira remains grounded and remembers where he came from. Brazilian youth.

“I think about how far I've come almost every day,” Pereira said. “It’s about staying grounded in my roots.”

Pereira recently watched a game at the home of his head coach, Glover Teixeira, who lost to Pereira's next opponent, Jamahal Hill, in the final match of his career last year, and said he “needed to do it” to get to this point in his life. I remember thinking about “everything that happened.''

He added that this is part of the reason he returns to his hometown so often to train at Teixeira MMA & Fitness in Bethel, Conn., and spend time with family and old friends.

Pereira adds the honor of headlining one of the most stacked events in UFC history to his list of immeasurable accomplishments. This is another way Pereira has defied critics who doubted he could become a kickboxing champion with only four MMA bouts under his belt when he makes his UFC debut in 2021. Making waves in this sport.

Having closed the door on a return to middleweight to reclaim the UFC title he first won in 2022, Pereira is squarely focused on his first defense of the light heavyweight title, and ultimately subsequent defenses.

Since reigning division champion Jon Jones vacated the title in 2020, Pereira has emerged as the undisputed champion after brief reigns with Jan Blachowicz, Teixeira, Jiri Prochaska and Hill. He is the fifth man to be killed.

Hill knocked out Teixeira in five rounds in Brazil last January to win the title that Prochaska vacated due to injury, but it's worth noting that Pereira cornered his mentor and glared at Hill in the aftermath.

Hill also vacated his title last July with a torn Achilles tendon, paving the way for Pereira to defeat Prochaska and become champion at 205 pounds — a short period of time from his UFC debut to becoming a two-division champion. Kingpin is on a promotional fast for about two years.

The matchup between Pereira and Hill gives the champion the chance to become the first man to successfully defend his high-profile light heavyweight belt since Blachowicz in March 2021.

And Pereira insists that's all he's focused on, not the narrative of seeking retribution on Teixeira's behalf.

“A lot of people say, 'Oh, he's going there to get revenge on Glover.' Is there such a thing as bad blood? No, I'm just fighting another opponent,” Pereira said. To tell.