Alex Pereira: Net Worth 2024, Record, Salary, and Endorsements

Who is Alex Pereira?

Alex Pereira is the current undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion of the world. The Brazilian is also a former undisputed UFC middleweight champion. Pereira made his UFC debut in 2021, after reaching exceptional heights of success in kickboxing. 'Poatan' also boasts a stellar record in GLORY kickboxing where he became the first simultaneous two-division champion.

His rivalry with Israel Adesanya is one of the most famous storylines in UFC history. He maintained his reputation even after his UFC entry as he gained another point in their rivalry by defeating 'Izzy' at UFC 281 for the undisputed UFC middleweight championship. Although he dropped the title to the Kiwi at UFC 287 a few months later, he had already built a massive stature among the UFC audience.

Alex Pereira's Early Life and Family

Alex Pereira was born on July 7, 1987 in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil. According to reports, his mother's name is Maria Pereira, and she is a single mother and a housewife. His father's name is unknown.

His younger sister Aline Pereira traced the steps of her elder brother, Alex, and started off training in combat sports. She also turned a professional on 22 July 2017, debuting for the 'WGP Kickboxing' promotion.

She then fought 3 bouts under Glory and transitioned to MMA, joining the 'LFA' like her brother. However, she too began her MMA career with a defeat and currently boasts a 0-1 record in MMA. Reportedly, Alex and Aline share a loving and strong brother-sister relationship.

'Poatan' belongs to the indigenous Brazilian tribe named 'Patax'. He quit school at 12 years of age and took up a job at a tire shop. This was where he developed a debilitating drinking habit. Iced cachaca- a Brazilian rum made from sugarcane - was his poison of choice. By the champion's own admission, he was a heavy drinker by the age of 16, drinking up to a liter of rum a day with some beers as well.

This excessive drinking also meant he got into fights. Pereira was able to handle himself in those situations, thanks to his crude power and sheer size. This eventually led him to take up kickboxing at the age of 21, which also helped him get off his addiction to drinking.

At the gym, where several native Brazilians trained, Pereira discovered his true heritage. This was a wake-up call for him, after having spent most of his childhood and teenage in a more urban setting. Pereira discovered his roots and heritage and adopted the name 'Poatan' roughly meaning 'hands of stone' in the native Brazilian Tupi language.

Alex Pereira's Partner and Children

Alex Pereira is a divorcee. His ex-wife's name is unknown. The 36-year-old, however, has two sons from his previous marriage - Alessandro Vidal Silva and Lohan Vidal Silva - both of them likely in their early teenage years.

Pereira was in a relationship with Merle Christine until late 2023. In news that shocked fans, the couple had a very ugly and a very public breakup. According to Pereira, Merle was married while she was with him and this was the reason for their split.

Now, the Brazilian's love life is garnering attention again after speculations of a romance brewing between him and fellow Brazilian UFC star Polyana Viana.

Alex Pereira's Net Worth

According to several sources, Alex Pereira reportedly boasts a current net worth of a whopping $2M. This comes from his UFC paychecks and endorsements.

Like other UFC fighters, Pereira also receives his salary per fight. 'Poatan' earned the highest salary of his UFC career from his middleweight title defense at UFC 287 which stood at a total of $1,767,000. This bout against his archrival, Adesanya earned him the biggest sum from a single fight.

His second-highest paycheck was for his light heavyweight title bout against Jiri Prochazka. The title win earned him $1,197,000 in total. It is also important to note that for both these title fights, he had a reported base salary of a million dollars.

Alex Pereira's Career Timeline

'Poatan' started off his amateur kickboxing career in the year 2009 and ramped up a 25-3 record (all 25 wins via KO). Once, he had gone on record to state that all his losses had come against the same person. Pereira also turned a professional in the year 2012 and made his debut under the Brazilian kickboxing and MMA promotion named 'Jungle Fight'.

Following that, he joined WGP Kickboxing where he claimed the middleweight Title of the promotion in 2015. Further, he also had a title defense as he finished off Maycon Silva in the second round of his WGP KB 40 bout.

At the same time, Pereira was also fighting for the noted, 'GLORY Kickboxing' promotion as well. In 2017, Pereira claimed the promotion's middleweight Championship and made four title defenses to his name. GLORY Kickboxing is also the platform that witnessed the beginning of the historic rivalry between Pereira and the former UFC champion, Israel Adesanya.

In 2021, he also became the first-ever 'GLORY' fighter to boast championships in two divisions (Middleweight and Light Heavyweight). Pereira's 'Glory Kickboxing' record of 12-4 also contains two wins over the former UFC middleweight king, Adesanya.

Pereira made his professional MMA debut under the same 'Jungle Fight' since the promotion hosted events for both kickboxing and MMA. Between 2015 and 2016, he accumulated a 2-1 record from 'Jungle Fight'. After a decorated kickboxing career, Pereira decided to move on to MMA full-time and had his fourth career MMA fight for 'Legacy Fighting Alliance' on 20 November 2020. He also picked up a convincing victory over his opponent, Thomas Powell, with a first-round TKO.

On September 3, 2021, it was announced that 'Poatan' had signed into the UFC. The Brazilian was put to work against Andreas Michailidis in his first UFC encounter at UFC 268 and passed the test with flying colors, securing a knockout win in the second round, courtesy of a vicious knee. The promotion scheduled him against another exciting middleweight Bruno Silva in his second fight which he won via decision.

Pereira fought the noted Middleweight Sean Strickland in his next bout and knocked him out in the opening round. This fight earned him a shot at the middleweight gold held by Adesanya. At UFC 281 in November 2022, 'Poatan' finished off Adesanya in the final round of the bout with a standing TKO inside the Madison Square Garden.

However, he lost a rematch with Adesanya at UFC 287 in April 2023 in Miami. Next, he moved to the light heavyweight division where he defeated Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 via a split decision. This fight earned him a shot at the vacant 205 lbs division's title and he knocked out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 to claim it. Alex Pereira currently holds a professional MMA record of 9-2-0 in his MMA career and is 6-1 in the UFC.

Alex Pereira's contract

Poatan's ascend to the top at lightspeed is not slowing down anytime soon. Alongside the UFC 300 headliner, Pereira has been signed by the promotion for eight more fights.

As he revealed on the MMA Hour, “When I first joined UFC, they gave me three fights. After the first fight, they renewed me for eight, Dana did after the [Sean] Strickland fight. Now, they just gave me another eight and of course, I bring [things] to the table, too. They’re happy with that but they’re very good with us, too, so, we cannot complain. We’re in a perfect relationship.”

Alex Pereira's Partnerships and Endorsements

Apart from the fight purse in UFC, Pereira has a few sponsors. Pereira had an NFT partnership with OWNIC. He also endorses the brand AthletiCBD. The Brazilian, like any other fighter in the UFC, gets promotional benefits from UFC fight gear as well.

Alex Pereira's Career Stats and Records

Pereira's career record currently stands at  9-2-0. So far he has only suffered 2 losses- the first in his professional MMA debut against Quemuel Ottoni at Jungle Fight 82, and the second against his arch-nemesis  Israel Adesanya at UFC 287.

Alex Pereira's Major Achievements and Awards

Understandably, Pereira's decorated combat sports career has earned him a lot of awards to date. Here are some of the notable accolades that the 'Patax' tribe native currently boasts:

• Shortest time and fewest bouts to win championships in two divisions in UFC history (2 years/7 bouts)


• First and only fighter to win the UFC Middleweight and Light Heavyweight championships


• Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Andreas Michailidis, Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, and Jiří Procházka


• Fifth highest significant strike percentage in UFC history (61.9%)


• Latest knockout in a UFC Middleweight fight (2:01 of R5 vs Israel Adesanya 1)

MMAjunkie.com

• 2022 July Knockout of the Month vs. Sean Strickland


• 2022 Male Fighter of the Year


• 2022 Breakout Fighter of the Year

ESPN

• 2022 Male Fighter of the Year

Sherdog

• 2022 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year


• 2022 Fighter of the Year

MMA Fighting

• 2022 Male Fighter of the Year

Alex Pereira's Charity and Foundation

Pereira who himself rose from favelas, doesn't shy away from giving back to his community. However, when he does, it is usually without beating the drums for public acknowledgment. Be it raising funds for those affected by Zika Virus in 2017, or delivering relief and rebuilding efforts to those impacted by heavy rainfall and severe destruction in Fazendinha in 2023.

Alex Pereira's Titles

• UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time, current)


• UFC Middleweight Championship (One time)


• 2021 Glory Light Heavyweight Champion


• 2019 Glory Interim Light Heavyweight Champion


• 2017 Glory Middleweight Champion (five defenses)


• 2015 WGP Kickboxing Middleweight Champion


• 2013 WAKO Pro Panamerican K-1 -85 kg/187 lb Champion


• 2012 Jungle Fight Middleweight Champion

Alex Pereira's Car Collection

Pereira boasts a blue Lamborghini Huracan Performante and was found gleaming with joy upon becoming the supercar's proud owner. This was an upgrade from his previous Chevrolet Corvette (C8).

Alex Pereira's Social Media Accounts

Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/alexpoatanpereira/?hl=en
Twitter	https://twitter.com/AlexPereiraUFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Facebook
Website

Personal Information:
Full Name	Alexsandro Pereira
Birth date	7 July 1987
Birth Place	São Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Net Worth?	$2M
Parents	Unknown
Siblings	Aline Silva Pereira (sister)
Nationality	Brazilian
Religion	Unconfirmed
Height	6ft 4inches (1.93m)
Weight	185lbs (Middleweight)
Wife	Unknown
Children	2
Salary	$500k (from last fight)
Endorsements	OWNIC, AthletiCBD