There is one man who has knocked out Israel Adesanya in kickboxing and in MMA. That man is Alex Pereira — and the story of how he became a two-weight UFC champion is one of the most improbable in the sport’s history.
Pereira didn’t grow up training MMA. He grew up in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, before channelling that aggression into kickboxing. He became GLORY Kickboxing’s middleweight champion — one of the most competitive striking organisations in the world — and in doing so, built a rivalry with Adesanya that would follow them both into the UFC’s octagon.
The Making of Poatan
Born in Mogi das Cruzes in Brazil’s São Paulo state, Pereira came to combat sports through kickboxing rather than the wrestling or BJJ backgrounds that define so many MMA careers. His nickname — Poatan — derives from an indigenous Brazilian word for “rocky fists,” a description that turned out to be literally accurate.
He built his kickboxing career through GLORY, the premier global kickboxing promotion, rising through the ranks to capture the middleweight title. His power was the defining feature: a left hook capable of ending fights at any stage, paired with footwork and timing developed over years competing against the best strikers in the world.
The Adesanya Rivalry Begins in Kickboxing
Before either man became an MMA household name, Pereira and Israel Adesanya met in the kickboxing world — and Pereira won, twice. A knockdown in their first encounter was followed by a clean knockout finish, cementing Pereira’s position as the only man to have finished Adesanya in competition.
That history became the central narrative of their UFC collision. When Pereira transitioned to MMA and joined the UFC in 2021, the Adesanya rematch was always the destination. But first, he had to prove he belonged.
Building the UFC Résumé
Pereira’s UFC run was rapid. He arrived with striking credentials nobody questioned but with an MMA game that needed proving against elite competition. He answered every doubt with finishes — his power did not diminish inside an octagon, and his MMA instincts developed faster than most anticipated.
The defining moment on his climb came against Sean Strickland, one of the top middleweights in the sport and a future UFC champion himself. Pereira stopped Strickland — a result that made the title shot unavoidable. Here was a fighter who had the tools to beat anyone at 185 pounds, not just in kickboxing but in MMA. For context on how much the middleweight landscape shifted after Pereira left the division, the Sean Strickland profile is a companion read.
UFC 281: The Title Nobody Predicted He’d Win
At UFC 281 in November 2022, Pereira challenged Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title. Few gave him a genuine chance. Adesanya had spent years becoming arguably the most dominant technical striker in UFC history. The kickboxing history gave Pereira a narrative hook but not much else in the pre-fight analysis.
What happened was extraordinary. Adesanya was outpointing him. Pereira looked like he was behind on the cards. Then, in the fifth round, the left hand found its target — the same finish Adesanya had been trying to avoid since 2022 — and the most unexpected title change of the era was complete. Pereira was the UFC middleweight champion.
UFC 287: The Loss That Redirected Everything
The middleweight title reign was brief. At UFC 287 in April 2023, Adesanya stopped Pereira in the second round and reclaimed the belt. Rather than demand a trilogy at 185 pounds, Pereira made the decision that would define the next phase of his career.
He moved to light heavyweight.
The LHW Reign: Four Defenses and Counting
Alex Pereira at 205 pounds has been dominant in a way that surprised even his supporters. He won the UFC light heavyweight championship against Jiri Prochazka — one of the most dangerous and unpredictable strikers in MMA — and the finish was emphatic. The combination of Pereira’s power, timing, and the tactical development he’d built in MMA gave him the same structural advantages at LHW that he’d exploited at middleweight.
What followed was four successful title defenses. At a weight class that had produced some of MMA’s most dramatic eras — Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Chuck Liddell — Pereira carved out a position among the division’s elite champions. A finishing rate that erases the narrative of him being a limited MMA fighter who survives on one punch.
Four defenses puts him in serious historical company at 205. For a full look at how the UFC light heavyweight rankings have reorganised beneath his reign, the picture reflects just how thoroughly he’s cleared the division.
EA Sports UFC 6: The Face of the Sport
Pereira is the cover athlete for EA Sports UFC 6 — the most commercially prominent MMA video game franchise. That is not a minor detail. Cover selection reflects a combination of mainstream recognition, active championship status, and fighter personality. Pereira has all three.
Outside the octagon, he’s become one of the most recognisable faces in combat sports globally — a genuine crossover star whose appeal extends well beyond the hardcore MMA audience. The GLORY kickboxing background gives him credibility in striking communities. The two-title run gives him legitimacy in MMA circles. The personality and the power give him mainstream reach.
What’s Next: Gane and the Ongoing Legacy Question
At UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026, Pereira defends his title against Ciryl Gane — technically gifted, long, and one of the most movement-oriented fighters he’ll have faced at LHW. Gane’s athleticism, reach, and technical boxing game present a different stylistic problem than anything Pereira has navigated through four defenses. For a full read on what Gane brings to the matchup, see the Ciryl Gane profile.
Where does Pereira rank among the all-time LHW champions? That question has more data to come. But what’s already established is the uniqueness of the career path: a GLORY kickboxing champion who followed a rival into the UFC, won a middleweight title almost no one predicted, absorbed a loss, moved up a weight class, and built a four-defense LHW reign.
The Gane fight is the next chapter. The LHW title, four defenses old, is on the line June 14.
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