Alex Pereira has delivered knockouts on the biggest stages in combat sports, but this moment had nothing to do with titles, belts, or rankings. Instead, it was about a journey that began far away from bright lights and sold-out arenas. This week, the Brazilian champion was honored as the first international recipient of the Beacon Award from the Ellis Island Honors Society, a recognition reserved for immigrants whose work uplifts communities and inspires future generations.

In a post shared to Instagram, Pereira captured the weight of the moment simply with, “Honored and humbled to be the first international recipient of the @eihonors Beacon Award. Thank you for the recognition of my work here in the United States as an immigrant. CHAMA”

That word, ‘humbled’, came through even more clearly when he spoke onstage in the video attached to the post. After the host outlined Pereira’s achievements outside fighting, including his non-profit work through Poatan Cares, the UFC champion took the microphone and let his guard down.

He said, “My life wasn’t easy, but all of it was worth it. Being here with my children, having them present, and listening to them speak English for me is a dream.”

Pereira then went on to share a memory that stripped away any remaining distance between champion and crowd, “Life was a very difficult one. I’d like to share a story with you all in the past when my children were infants and used diapers. They were on their last pair of diapers, and I didn’t know what I was gonna do to buy more.”

‘Poatan’ also said his life is now stable and full of opportunity in the United States, expressing deep gratitude for how far he’s come and describing his current reality as a dream compared to where he started. That gratitude isn’t performative. It’s been consistent.

That gratitude is consistently reflected in his actions, from his work with Instituto Poatan supporting over 700 children in São Paulo to donating over 1,000 food boxes to his hometown ahead of UFC 307. His commitment was further demonstrated in 2024 with a $120,000 contribution toward flood relief in Brazil.

This moment is the culmination of a journey that began in a favela and led through manual labor and a battle with alcoholism. The structure he found in kickboxing didn’t just save him; it forged him into a two-division UFC champion and a Glory kickboxing legend, making his acts of generosity even more meaningful.

Alex Pereira surprises his father with a heartwarming gift

Known for his stone-faced, almost unshakable demeanor, Alex Pereira rarely lets emotion spill into public view. But in January, fans caught a rare glimpse. The UFC light heavyweight champion shared a video of himself surprising his father with a golf cart, and the moment hit harder than any post-fight speech.

Pereira made his father cover his eyes as they walked toward the driveway. When the reveal came, the reaction was immediate tears of joy. Then, they took a ride together, father and son, side by side.

“Very happy to be able to present my dad, he deserves it a lot because he stopped having his own things to be able to raise seven children, thank you dad,” Pereira wrote in the caption for the video. That line carries weight when you know the backstory. Pereira has never hidden where he came from, and his father sacrificed so his children could survive. Now, he’s able to give something back, not out of obligation, but respect.

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It wasn’t a one-off either. In 2023, Pereira surprised his longtime coach and mentor, Glover Teixeira, with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. So when Alex Pereira says his life is now stable and feels like a dream, it doesn’t come off as cliché. It sounds like someone who knows exactly how fragile that stability once was.

The Beacon Award didn’t just honor an immigrant success story. It highlighted a fighter who never forgot where he came from and made sure the climb meant something once he reached the top.