Alex Pereira shares theory on what made him a ridiculously strong UFC knockout artist
03/05/2025 10:56 AM
As he prepares to defend his UFC light heavyweight throne out in Las Vegas, Alex Pereira offers a theory as to how he became such an esteemed KO artist.
With 21 knockouts in Kickboxing, one knockout in boxing, and 10 knockouts inside the MMA octagon – it's safe to say that Alex Pereira is one of the most devastating strikers in all of combat sports.
However, that wasn't always the case; so, as we countdown to UFC 313 and in his own words, how did 'Poatan' gain his ridiculous strength and power?
- EXCLUSIVE: Watch the moment Alex Pereira learns that Justin Gaethje vs Dan Hooker is off UFC 313 over injury
Alex Pereira credits working in a tire shop for his insane KO power
During the first episode of the UFC 313 Embedded series, which landed on YouTube earlier this week, Alex Pereira was asked where his insane knockout power comes from.
"I think this is genetics, in my family, [from] my parents," stated Pereira, and that's certainly part of the answer – his sister Aline Pereira is a KO artist herself over in Karate Combat.
Yet Pereira also credits his previous employment as to why he enjoys such devastating knockout power now in the UFC; having dropped out of middle school to help his father on building sites as a teenager.
"I helped my father with construction work, as a bricklayer's assistant and then I worked in the tire shop for 14 years. I started this job very early [in life], and I think I was increasing my strength… Then, with all the training, it improved."
In August 2024, Pereira returned to the same tire shop where he once worked as a young man; with a short clip of 'Poatan' back in the workshop going viral on social media.
Yet it's not just physical strength that Alex Pereira possesses, but mental strength as well, having famously defeated an alcohol addiction during his early years training kickboxing.
"The dream of being a fighter, to make a living from fighting or of being a champion – as Glover says, not everyone can get there, right?" he told his teammates on the UFC 313 Countdown show.
"Unfortunately, that's how it works. But if you can't be a champion, as a fighter, you can be a champion in life… You can become a better person, a better father, a better mother, a better brother. This is important, too.
"I'm sure that if I wasn't the best champion today, if I changed my life. I stopped drinking after four years of training… I already won, that's a victory, so I am a champion in life. That's it. Thank you for everything, thank you for the motivation. Chama."
Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight throne this weekend at UFC 313
Alex Pereira returns to action this coming weekend in the main event of UFC 313, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
'Poatan' is set to defend his throne against number one contender Magomed Ankalaev, who enters Fight Week on the back of a stellar 11-fight unbeaten streak.
The two fighters have been embroiled in a bitter war of words for well over a year; with the 20-1-1 Russian having recently claimed that he's going to ‘change Pereira’s face’ and shock the world by scoring a first-round finish.
Three days out from their long-awaited title showdown, Pereira remains only a slight favorite over Ankalaev – that being said, the wider MMA fanbase certainly isn't seeing UFC 313 as close as the bookies.
At the time of writing, around 73% of Tapology Community Picks are going in favor of the Brazilian, over 90% of which are predicting 'And Still' via KO/TKO.
UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev goes down live from Las Vegas on Saturday, March 8.
