- Alex Pereira thinks he might be possessing some unique strength
- “Poatan” detailed his injuries and challenges ahead of UFC 307
- The Brazilian fancies fighting at heavyweight soon
Alex Pereira talked about his unique strength, difficulties heading into UFC 307 and his desire to move up to heavyweight.
He is UNSTOPPABLE 🗿
Last night @AlexPereiraUFC defended the light heavyweight title for the THIRD time in 2024!
Who do you want to see him in the Octagon with next? #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/hilxmxyedP
— UFC (@ufc) October 6, 2024
Maybe Alex was just gifted
Speaking to ESPN MMA backstage after his TKO win over Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, “Poatan” opened up about being well aware that his strength is a cut above the rest. But while Pereira acknowledged that he may be genetically different, he concluded that his success was ultimately because of his hard work and training.
“I try to stay always sharp, I do have a little bit of unusual strength. Maybe by my genetics, maybe by my… working at a tire shop. But definitely because of my training,” the Brazilian said.
Alex Pereira says he has "unusual strength" in his hands 💥
"I do have a little bit of unusual strength. Maybe by my genetics, maybe by my up and coming working at a tire shop.
But definitely because of my training."
🎥 @espnmma #UFC307 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/XQRAztwM5d
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 6, 2024
Alex had injuries and sickness heading into the fight
During his post-fight presser, Pereira surprisingly elaborated about how tough this title fight was for him, especially the training camp. According to the light heavyweight champion, only his team understood the depths of his difficulties for this fight, having endured a series of challenges way before he took on Rountree.
“The fight was really tough but only my team knows how tough this camp really was. I went through a lot of stuff that nobody really knows about. I was in Brazil about a month ago. I had some problems with my visa. I was going over to the consulate every single day, trying to see if my passport was ready to be picked up. Finally, I made it back to the U.S. I spent about a week in Connecticut and have been here for three weeks. In the meantime, I was on antibiotics. I had a fever. I had a bad throat. A lot of things happened. Also going back, when I was in Brazil, I hurt my rib. It was an injury I had about a year ago and it came back. So that was also something I was dealing with,” Pereira revealed.
“When I came here, my throat was still bad. I went to the doctor and had another round of antibiotics. I even recorded a video at the time. I said in the video I would show it if I won. So we can put that out at some point. But I went through a lot. Also, the ligament in my toe that was hurt for UFC 300, that came back. So there were a lot of things I went through in this camp and it was a tough fight, but it was a tough lead up to this fight and I actually feel really proud of myself in this moment,” he continued.
Alex Pereira describes the hardships he went through during his camp for #UFC307
– was on Antibiotics
– passport troubles
– fevers, sore throat
– rib injury#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/fOdEHf7aSx— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 6, 2024
Alex wants the heavyweight division
Prior to UFC 307, Pereira was insisting about returning to middleweight to face Dricus du Plessis. However, “Poatan” suddenly had a change of heart as he now wants to move up to heavyweight.
“I think that if the UFC wants to please me, I think maybe a fight at heavyweight one day would be something that would really please me,” Pereira said at the presser.
Alex Pereira says he wants to fight at heavyweight one day:
“If the UFC wants to please me, I think maybe a fight at heavyweight one day would be something that would really please me.”#UFC307 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/afPjDUor2d
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 6, 2024
As it stands, Pereira’s UFC 307 win saw him improving his successful title defense to three in a row. It also made him unbeaten in the light heavyweight division.
