I went from 68p a day tyre shop worker to UFC champion and I owe Israel Adesanya everything

Alex Pereira’s journey to the UFC’s summit has been nothing shy of remarkable.

Growing up in a ‘tiny’ house in Batistini, Brazil, with seven brothers and sisters, he has overcome several of life’s challenges.

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These included a fear of the dark that led to him wetting the bed, on top of a deep desire for control over his situation.

At just 12-years-old, Pereira would take a 40-minute walk to work at a tyre shop for 68p a day, as he ‘absolutely hated school’.

His proximity to the bar led to an alcohol addiction for the next three years, where he regularly drank cachaca, Brazil’s most popular spirit.

In a revealing interview with The Players’ Tribune, Pereira explained how his path to UFC gold stemmed from an encounter with a local butcher.

The 37-year-old also admitted that he owes ‘a lot’ to his long-term rival Israel Adesanya, who ‘lit a fuse’ in him to join the UFC.

“By the time I was 16, it had gotten pretty bad,” Pereira said, speaking on his battle with alcoholism.

“I remember, usually when I would calibrate a tyre, the person would give me a tip. 

“But sometimes people would not give one, and instead they would say: ‘I left you a drink at the bar.’ And so…what can you do, right? I would go and drink the drink.”

Periera’s constant cycle of drinking wouldn’t go away, until an unexpected moment that changed his life forever.

Fast-forward 20 years, and Pereira is the UFC’s biggest star, having emerged as a global sensation in the last year due to his reserved yet powerful character and unique persona.

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He may not speak a sprinkle of English, but it feels like Pereira’s presence transcends language barriers, with his several knockouts inside the Octagon doing most, if not all of the talking necessary.

On March 8, the UFC light-heavyweight champion will put his belt on the line for the fourth time, taking on Magomed Ankalaev.

The two headline UFC 313 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, in what will be one of Dana White’s biggest events of the year.

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier described the fight as the ‘hardest’ of Pereira’s title reign as he faces a Russian submission specialist with just one defeat on his MMA record.

Should he come out victorious, Pereira will smash UFC legend Jon Jones’ record for the most title defences within the shortest time frame.

“I probably wouldn’t even be a fighter at all, much less a world champion,” Pereira said, reflecting on the moment he realised he wanted to pursue fighting.

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This revelation came when a young, ‘skinny’ Pereira, who never felt like he fitted in during his youth, was ‘convinced’ to play a game of football, despite having no interest in the sport.

After getting into a push-and-shove match with an older local butcher during the game, Pereira punched the man in the face and his friends told him he should learn to fight.

Following the scuffle, Pereira began training with a man nicknamed ‘Master Ninja’, who had coached the man he first laid his fists on.

He used money from his job at the tyre shop to pay for 30 days of training and entered a local Chinese boxing championship not long after.

“That night, I felt like a king,” Pereira added, recalling his victory in the local tournament, although it was was short-lived. 

The physical toll of the bout made him feel like he was ‘going to die’, so Pereira quit fighting and feel back into a consistent routine of heavy drinking for the next three years. 

“No fighting. No sports at all, actually. No training. Just drinking. Three straight years of alcohol,” he said.

Pereira eventually returned to escape his alcoholism, after he begun ‘showing up late to places’.

After getting into his training again, he soon transferred gyms and met his ‘first true coach’, Belocqua Wera, who he revealed gave him the nickname ‘Poatan’ to help him connect with his indigenous ancestry. 

He later received a scholarship to train at the best gym in Sao Paulo and a 26-year-old Pereira decided–after losing a fight–to stop drinking for good.

“No medicines. No rehab. No long talks with psychologists,” he emphasized, noting that the decision came so that his mother could trust him.

After boxing for some time, Pereira made the transition to kickboxing and eventually MMA.

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“I owe a lot to Izzy Adesanya, I’m not gonna lie. That guy, I mean…God bless him,” Pereira said, reflecting on how his early bouts with Adesanya were used as motivation.

Their rivalry began when the pair first fought under the Glory of Heroes banner in China in 2016 and in Sao Paulo one year later.

Pereira won both bouts, winning the second via a trademark left lead hook that we have seen so many times now in the UFC.

The rivalry between the two started in 2016 and 2017 when Pereira defeated Adesanya by knockout in China and Sao Paulo. 

Two years later, Adesanya was crowned the UFC middleweight champion by knocking out Robert Whittaker in Melbourne, Australia.

‘Poatan’ had kept a close eye on Adesanya’s move to MMA’s biggest league, and a video the latter made mocking Pereira’s kickboxing had him considering the same switch. 

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“That video, it was like lighting a fuse,” Pereira revealed, speaking on Adesanya’s comments.

Shortly after, Pereira’s UFC debut came in November 2021, when he announced himself to the world with a stunning flying knee.

The strike was so powerful that UFC commentator Joe Rogan said: “That dude’s made out of mahogany.”

Following this, Pereira won his second fight for his new promotion against Bruno Silva, before earning a title shot after knocking out Sean Strickland in a performance that would set a precedent for things to come.

Against all odds, the Brazilian claimed the 185lb strap in a thrilling fight with Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 in November 2022.

It was the third time Pereira had defeated Adesanya in mixed martial arts, and in the process, he solidified his place among the UFC’s elite fighters.

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After Adesanya got the last laugh by knocking the Brazilian out in their rematch, Pereira made the decision to move up to a division and challenge for the light heavyweight belt in 2023.

He won his first bout at light heavyweight by claiming a split decision victory over Jan Blachowicz, before knocking out Jiri Prochazka to claim his second UFC title.

‘Poatan’ still holds the UFC title to date and will defend it for the fourth time on March 9 at UFC 313.

He concluded by admitting that soon after he joined the UFC, he bumped into the butcher once again at the tyre shop he used to work at.

He revealed that there were ‘no hard feelings’ and he simply said thanks.

“Who knows if he understood why. And I never in my life would have imagined I’d be saying those words to that guy, of all people,” Pereira said.

“But, if it wasn’t for him…who knows where I am today.”