Alex Pereira is a fearsome striker, earning him the moniker ‘Poatan’ or ‘Hands of Stone, which he shares with former boxing legend Roberto Duran. The two fighters, in fact, share a lot of similarities. Another congruence between the two is that both defeated the Golden Boys in their sport despite being written off before the bout.

Duran defeated middleweight boxing champion ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard in a massive upset before quitting in their famous ‘No Mas’ rematch. Likewise, Pereira defeated middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in an upset at UFC 281 before losing the rematch. And, of course, both make good villains. While Duran was known for his savage and loud trash-talk, the Brazilian is a stone-faced killer.

Alex Pereira moves up to light heavyweight

And like Roberto Duran, who held world championships in four weight divisions, Pereira is hoping to move up a weight class and become a champion at light heavyweight. Some have criticized the move, such as former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, who had to vacate the division title owing to an injury.

Hill is of the opinion that Pereira’s power will not translate into the light heavyweight division. How effective Pereira will be at light heavyweight remains to be seen in his matchup with Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291, who has declared his intent to defeat Pereira via his striking rather than his first-class ground game. 

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Fans react to Alex Pereira hitting the pads

A video of Pereira working the pads has surfaced. In the video, Pereira, with white boxing gloves on, is hitting the pads hard, practicing his combinations. Fans gave their inputs on the clip. They were divided, with some being impressed while others thought it won’t be very effective against the Pole.

scary hours pic.twitter.com/oo8Xegfsp4

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 24, 2023

One Twitter user wanted to see him as a John Wick villain:

Another warned people writing off Blachowicz:

One was excited to see him at light heavyweight:

Another agreed:

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One fan was impressed:

As was this one:

One fan gave his breakdown of his loss to Adesanya:

UFC fans are eagerly waiting to see how Pereira performs at light heavyweight and whether his power translates there. With the title vacant, the winner of his bout with Blachowicz will probably be fighting for it in the near future.

Do you think Pereira will be as effective at light heavyweight as he was at middleweight? Let us know in the comment section below. 

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