Las Vegas — UFC light heavyweight champ (and former middleweight champion) Alex Pereira has taken the UFC by storm over the past couple of years.
Originally known for his kickboxing rivalry with Israel Adesanya, “Poatan” was fast tracked by the promotion upon arrival in the UFC in 2021, winning just three fights prior to meeting Adesanya once again— and for the first time in MMA.
A knockout finish led to his first UFC title, though he would lose the belt back to “The Last Stylebender” in an immediate rematch. Then came a move up to light heavyweight, where he would claim gold in November 2023. Last year, Pereira dominated the light heavyweight division, defending his belt three times, headlining the two biggest events of the year (UFC 300 and 303), and saving them in the process.
Talk in more recent months has been about a Pereira fight with heavyweight champ Jon Jones. Perhaps as a non-title catchweight bout, or perhaps with the Brazilian pursuing gold in a third weight class.
“Third belt, I don’t know,” Pereira told Cageside Press at this year’s World MMA Awards. “We gotta see what happens.”
Staying motivated with so much success already achieved, however, doesn’t seem to be a problem for one of the UFC’s biggest stars. “I’m always motivated, but also everything working on my side the way that it is, everything happening like it’s happening is a big motivation for me,” he stated.
That’s in stark contrast to a superstar like Conor McGregor, who hit the peak of MMA with two titles, but didn’t hang around to defend them.
Pereira, meanwhile, has become one of the most visible fighters on the UFC roster. And anywhere he goes, fans tend to yell “Chama” at him. A common term in parts of Brazil, it literally means “call me/call it,” but in context, it’s the equivalent of a fighter saying “let’s go!”
When it comes to fans addressing him, “some call me Alex, some call me Poatan, some call me Pereira,” he noted. But for them to really show their support, “they always say ‘Chama.'”
Watch our full interview with Alex Pereira above.
