Alex Pereira is gearing up for his upcoming headline fight against Jiri Prochazka for the light heavyweight title. Meanwhile, we are here to take a look at ‘Poatan’s previous health issues. ‘Poatan’ is arguably one of the greatest MMA fighters to come out of the South American nation of Brazil. However many fans do not know that Pereira used to have a problem with alcoholism before getting into MMA.

He had an alcohol problem before he started his martial arts training. It was a difficult time in Alex Pereira’s life. So, let’s take a deeper look at the former middleweight champion’s health struggles.

Alex Pereira dealt with alcoholism before starting his MMA training

The former middleweight champion appeared in a podcast with MMA legend Fabricio Werdum in 2022. There, he opened up about his struggles with alcoholism. As per an article by ‘Glory Kickboxing‘, Alex Pereira quit school at the age of 12. He then landed a job at a tire shop, where the people who worked there often indulged in drinking cachacas. It was sort of a Brazilian rum and that got ‘Poatan’ hooked on alcohol. “At the time when I was really lost, I used to drink almost 1 liter (of alcohol) a day,” said Pereira to Werdum.

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Alex Pereira mentioned that drinking became some kind of ritual for him at that time. Moreover, until the clock hit noon, He already finished three bottles of cachacas. Pereira added, “[I used to drink] at 10 am, at 11 am, and another one at noon, right?” He also mentioned that he had little to no money at that time.

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‘Poatan’ had a love for beer, but it was too expensive for him to afford. “I liked beer, but damn, I didn’t have money,” Pereira added. Moreover, he did not like to talk about his alcoholism, but now he has opened up about it and revealed the reason behind it. Let’s see what he had to say.

‘Poatan’ revealed the reason for opening up about his alcoholism

Alex Pereira mentioned that not too long ago, he was afraid of talking about his problems with alcohol. However, he understands the need to open up about it to spread the word about the harm it inflicts. He said, “Until recently, I was afraid, ashamed… you know? Ashamed… So today, people have the opportunity to know where they can be saved. In sports.” Pereira claims that sports can eradicate such health problems.

Moreover, he also claimed that people need not be required to train in combat sports to overcome problems like alcoholism. Rather, they can choose any sport to train in. Alex Pereira further stated, “It does not matter if it’s kickboxing, MMA, Soccer, or whatever, you know?” It is safe to assume that martial arts changed ‘Poatan’s life forever as he went on to make his mark and make history in the sport of MMA.

He has already conquered one division in the UFC and is aiming to grab another divisional championship at UFC 295. It will be interesting to see how he fares against a former champion in the light heavyweight division. We will find that out on November 11 at Madison Square Garden.

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