UFC: Alex Pereira in profile

bet365 News Team Updated: 13 Feb 24 15:12

Everything you need to know about mixed martial artist, and UFC light heavyweight star, Alex Pereira.

Alex Pereira

Born:	7th July, 1987
Age:	36
Birthplace:	São Paulo, Brazil
Resides:	Bethel, Connecticut, United States
Height:	6ft 4ins
Reach:	79ins
Style:	Kickboxing
Weight Division:	Light Heavyweight
UFC Record:	5-1 (3kos)
MMA Record:	8-2 (6kos)
Next Fight:	Jiri Prochazka (Saturday 12th November)

Prochazka v Pereira

Alex Pereira is a former UFC Middleweight champion who has recently stepped up to the Light Heavyweight division, securing a narrow victory over Jan Blachowicz on his first attempt at the weight.

After two blockbuster fights with Israel Adesanya, Pereira is one of the biggest stars on the UFC roster. So much so, his second fight after moving up a division is for the vacant title.

The Brazilian will face former Light Heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka, who vacated the belt after a shoulder injury.

Pereira is the 4/6 favourite to beat Prochazka, with his Czech opponent 5/4 to secure the victory.

Prochazka won Fight of The Year when he won the Light Heavyweight title last year but faces a man in Pereira who is no stranger to awards.

'Hands of Stone' won Male Fighter of the Year with several publications in 2022, as well as Breakout Fighter of the Year from Sports Illustrated.

The 36-year-old also took home a series of awards and belts during his time in the world of kickboxing.

Kickboxing background

After leaving school at 12 and having a tough upbringing, Pereira began training in kickboxing in 2009.

He would go on to be one of the biggest fighters in the sport, becoming the first man to hold Glory titles in two separate weight classes at the same time.

Pereira was ranked #1 in kickboxing in both the middleweight and light-heavyweight division as recently as 2021.

His professional record in the sport was 33 wins and seven losses - 21 of his victories came by way of knockout and two of his defeats were also in that manner.

A final defeat to Artem Vakhitov in 2021 saw him lose the Glory Light Heavyweight Championship and switch his focus to mixed martial arts in the UFC.

UFC record

Pereira had four fights in mixed martial arts before joining the UFC, with a defeat in his 2015 debut avenged by three wins, two of which came in 2016 and the last in 2020.

Following that, the Brazilian debuted in the UFC in November 2021, winning by TKO against Andreas Michailidis at UFC 268.

A win over Bruno Silva by decision followed in 2022 before Pereira beat Sean Strickland by way of knockout at UFC 276, earning Performance of the Night in the process and confirming himself as a major force in the middleweight division.

The first of two fights with Adesanya followed, with Pereira winning the UFC MIddleweight Championship and Performance of the Night with a knockout victory over 'The Last Stylebender' at UFC 281.

That cemented Pereira’s rise in MMA and his position as one of the UFC's top fighters.

However, Adesanya was granted a rematch and returned the favour, knocking Pereira out at UFC 287 to reclaim the UFC Middleweight belt.

After the fight, the defeated Brazilian decided to step up to the Light Heavyweight division.

Familiar with moving between weight classes as he had in kickboxing, Pereira picked up his first win over Blachowicz in a back-and-forth fight, eventually prevailing by split decision.

Future aspirations

Periera faces one of the biggest challenges of his career against Prochazka and it must be remembered that the former Light Heavyweight champion never lost his title but merely vacated it.

The Brazilian will be looking to climb the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, where he is currently 10th.