Long before the lights and belts, Alex Pereira was a teenager working in a tire shop, drowning his pain in bottles. Today, he’s one of the UFC’s biggest stars, a two-division champion, a global figure, and the man they call Poatan, ‘Stone Hands’. This was evident in his selection as the main event replacement for a fight against Jiri Prochazka, as the Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler bout had to be canceled at the last minute at UFC 303 because of the Irishman’s injury.

But behind the knockouts and cold stare lies a story of survival. Ahead of his UFC 320 rematch with Magomed Ankalaev, let’s trace how Alex Pereira turned his darkest days into one of MMA’s greatest redemption arcs.

The alcoholism battle: why Pereira drank ‘one liter per day’ at age 16

UFC these days is dominated by the “Chama” aura of Alex Pereira, with his stone-faced demeanor and pin-drop silence. “Poatan” became the fastest two-division champion in UFC history in November. Many fans don’t know this, but Pereira didn’t have many opportunities to go to school. He left school at the age of 12 to work at a tire shop in Sao Paulo to help his family beat poverty. However, this led to another setback: alcoholism.

Pereira, under the influence of his colleagues, developed a habit of drinking iced cachaca, a Brazilian sugarcane spirit, and it got so bad that by the age of 16, Pereira was consuming a liter per day. 

“At that time when I was really lost, I used to drink almost one liter [of alcohol] a day,” Pereira revealed on Fabricio Werdum’s Nem Me Viu podcast. “Until 12 pm, I used to drink 3 cachaças — at 10 am, at 11 am and another one at noon. I liked beer, but I had no money.”

It wasn’t just a bad habit. It was a ritual, a way to feel alive while his world felt small. He admitted, “Until recently, I was kind of afraid, ashamed… But today, I see the need for it. Because, how many people are suffering from alcohol or drug problems? Not only directly, but also the family.”

That realization became the first step in his transformation. Sports, he said, became the escape hatch. “People have the opportunity to know where they can be saved. In sports. It doesn’t matter if it’s kickboxing, MMA, soccer, or whatever.” And for Pereira, that sport was kickboxing.

Kickboxing as salvation: Pereira’s path to GLORY Championship

Pereira rose to prominence in GLORY, a kickboxing promotion. There, Pereira faced elite opponents and rose to become a two-division world champion, dominating the middleweight and light heavyweight classes and earning a 33-7 professional kickboxing record by the end. His devastating left hook became infamous and earned him the nickname Poatan, meaning “Stone Hand” in the Indigenous Guarani language.

Pereira’s rivalry with Israel Adesanya also began there. He beat the future UFC champion twice, once by knockout, setting the stage for one of MMA’s greatest storylines. From an alcoholic teen in São Paulo to the top of the kickboxing world, Pereira’s redemption was complete. But his journey wasn’t over. The UFC was calling.

UFC Middleweight to Light Heavyweight: breaking championship records

When Pereira entered the UFC in 2021, few imagined how quickly he’d rise. By November 2023, he became the fastest fighter in UFC history to win belts at both middleweight and light heavyweight. 

As such, during the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame event, Daniel Cormier praised Alex Pereira while addressing the media, saying, “When you are trying to have that as your title [the face of the UFC]… This man here, because of his consistency, because of his activity, because of the time he spends in the octagon, is why people respect him.”

“Look, Conor McGregor will always be the biggest star the UFC has ever seen. But Conor McGregor doesn’t fight anymore. It’s this guy, right here. And it’s this guy because this guy shows up. You never can appreciate anyone who is not here. This guy is always here,” Cormier added.

He has built a record of 9-2 inside the Octagon, with seven knockouts. At one point, he defended titles three times in just 175 days, earning Fighter of the Year honors in 2024. But greatness always meets resistance.

In March 2025, Pereira lost his light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Despite stuffing all 12 takedown attempts, he was outpointed on the feet. Still, Pereira showed no excuses as he stated after the fight, “I’m not going to talk about anything like that. Of course, I’m not happy that I lost but knowing my potential and the way that I fought, I’m actually even surprised I was able to fight.”

He later admitted he was only “40%” of himself that night, hinting at illness and injury. Now, heading into UFC 320, Pereira seeks to reclaim the belt and rewrite the ending.

The ‘Poatan’ legacy: What makes Alex Pereira different?

Alex Pereira’s story isn’t just about titles; it’s about transformation. In less than four years, he’s gone from a debuting newcomer to one of the faces of the UFC. But what sets him apart isn’t just skill, it’s resilience.

He’s quiet where others are loud, grounded where others chase fame. His roots, indigenous, humble, hard-earned, keep him anchored even as his star rises. Trainer Glover Teixeira once said Pereira’s strength lies not in his punches, but in his composure. That calm has carried him through addiction, failure, and victory.

As Pereira prepares for his rematch with Ankalaev, he stands at another crossroads. Win or lose, his story is already the stuff of legend. From addiction to redemption, from São Paulo’s streets to the UFC’s main stage, ‘Poatan’ has lived it all.