The excitement, of course, stems from Pereira’s striking credentials, which include two-division champ status in Glory Kickboxing and a pair of wins over Adesanya, the second of which was a brutal one-punch knockout. As he prepares for his sophomore outing in the UFC against fellow Brazilian knockout artist Bruno Silva, Pereira spoke to Sherdog on a wide range of topics, including his nickname, his struggles with alcoholism, martial arts as his path to sobriety, and his feelings on the stream of trash talk emanating from Silva and his camp.
Full name?
Alex Sandro Silva Pereira.
What’s the origin and meaning of your nickname?
My nickname is “Poatan.” It’s an indigenous name. It means “hard hands.” Or you could say “hands of stone.” I went as far as tattooing stones on my left hand, which is the hand with which I’ve scored the most knockouts.
What’s your date of birth?
July 7, 1987. I’m 34 years old.
Where were you born? Where do you live today?
I was born in Sao Bernardo do Campo, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Recently, I moved to Connecticut.
What’s your academy?
Teixeira MMA. It’s Glover Teixeira’s academy.
Height?
1.94 m (6 feet, 4 inches).
Weight for your next bout?
84 kg (middleweight).
How’d you get started in martial arts?
I started training martial arts in 2009. I never thought about becoming a champion. I just wanted to get away from my addiction to alcohol. The only solution I could find was through sports. In Brazil, most young people will automatically think of soccer when talking about sports. But I’ve never enjoyed it, nor did I have a talent for it. As a kid, I liked street fights. That’s why I migrated to fight training. Though I never imagined I’d be a martial-arts professional. I just wanted a better quality of life. That’s how I got to know kickboxing. I was 21 or 22 years old. I had tried to stop drinking a few times. I wasn’t very successful. On the first try, I lasted three months before I started drinking again. Then, I lasted four months before going back to it. On my second-to-last try, I lasted six months. I figured I had control over it by then, and that I should be OK going to parties again. I thought I should be able to stop myself after a few drinks. I then realized it wasn’t possible. After so many attempts, I decided to completely stop, since I had no control over it. By that time, I’d been fighting for four years, and I had racked up several championships – amateur, state, and Brazilian professional champion. As of today, it’s been about nine years since I’ve had a drop of alcohol.
Did you have emotional or financial support in your chosen path?
Several of my friends supported and encouraged my career choice. I was told I was born for this. My family had a difficult time supporting me at first, because I was someone who’d always start something new and quit soon thereafter. It was hard for them to believe in me. I decided I should just keep doing what I was doing, until they started believing in me too. As far financial support, I did have some help – small contributions from small businesses. Sometimes, I’d get a pair of gloves. Or if I had to travel as an amateur, they’d get money together by running a raffle, for example. After some time, it was hard for some of the same people to keep helping. The more I progressed as a fighter, the higher the associated costs. In the end, the most important thing for me was the encouragement I received. It gave me strength.
You have a small number of losses in your career, between kickboxing and MMA. What lessons did you learn from them?
Along the way, I did have a few losses, but I was never discouraged. As an amateur, I had 28 bouts. I won 25 by KO. I noticed that if I didn’t win by knockout, the judges would award the win to their favorite fighter. I have video recordings of those three fights. I don’t believe I lost. In amateur boxing, I have 13 or 14 bouts. There was only one loss. The same thing happened – I have the recording – I didn’t knock him out, and the favorite fighter was awarded the win. I fought once as a boxing pro and won by knockout. In professional MMA, I have one loss. I was submitted in the third round [by Quemuel Ottoni]. Around that time, I was feeling very encouraged by landing several submissions during training. I wanted to do something surprising during that bout, so we went to the ground. It was a dumb decision. It didn’t work out. I went on to win my next four MMA fights by KO, by sticking to our strategy. And in professional kickboxing, I have 40 wins, 21 by knockout, and about 7 losses. I have recordings for all those fights too. I admit that once or twice I legitimately lost. But I think I did very well on all the rest. Those results helped keep me motivated. When you fight, but you’re unwell technically, physically or mentally, and you lose, you may feel that you can never make it to the next level. But in my case, I would fight and win. I would watch the video and know that I won. Other people would agree with me. So, I had faith in the fact that I was indeed the better fighter. That’s why I never got discouraged. I knew my time would come.
Do you think your two kickboxing wins over Israel Adesanya were the primary reason for your inclusion in the UFC?
I don’t believe that the biggest factor in my being signed up by the UFC is the fact that I beat Israel Adesanya twice. I believe that it’s actually the work I put into kickboxing – becoming champion in two classes. My professional MMA career has been short. But after the submission loss upon my debut, the subsequent bouts were all wins by KO. I think I impressed a lot of folks in the U.S. with my KO [of Thomas Powell] in the LFA. I think my work in kickboxing and my few MMA bouts left a good impression on the UFC. Had I never fought Adesanya, I’m confident I would have signed with the UFC, regardless. Of course, those wins do bring an extra bit of hype, but my work in kickboxing earned me my spot.
Can you share some thoughts about your transition to MMA?
I’ve been 100 percent dedicated to MMA, while keeping up my striking ability. I don’t wish to lose any of my skills, while still learning new ones. Of course, some things are different in MMA striking, such as distance. Glover Teixeira has stated my striking is some of the best in MMA. That’s the champion talking. I don’t like to brag about my abilities, but the numbers speak for themselves. As far as my ground work, I keep learning and evolving. It’s beyond simply surviving. People who train with me would not be surprised if I won by submission.
How did you feel about your UFC debut, when you scored a fast TKO on a pay-per-view card, and brought home a performance bonus?
It was a fantastic debut. Some people were surprised. People who followed my work already knew my potential. I knew I’d put on a show. I didn’t know exactly how, but I knew I’d make an impression. My UFC debut was very important to me, my family, and to those in Brazil who follow my career. I’m very happy to be a positive example to people around the world who wish to get into the UFC one day. I want them to see that it is possible. When I started, if you said you wished to fight in the UFC, your training partners may think you were crazy. But today, most people who train seriously have that dream. People are more motivated today. They can see that several Brazilians fought their way out of bad situations and managed to make it to the UFC. I went through it. It’s possible for others to do it too.
You're now booked to face fellow Brazilian striker Bruno Silva in your next bout. He’s stated he doesn’t choose opponents, while also saying that the UFC gave you several choices. What do you think of that?
Right after my UFC debut, I let people know I’d love to fight again by February. The organization got to work, looking to find me an opponent. But no one would agree to face me. At least 15 fighters turned down an offer to face me. Only two fighters were left – Silva [Blindado] and another guy who was trying to create controversy. I forgot his name [Krzysztof Jotko]. I chose Bruno because I know we will put on a great show for the people who pay to see us. I thought it was the better choice. Bruno may think I have it easy because I was given options. But I’m taking the hard path. Bruno has three KOs in a row inside the UFC. It was either him or a boring guy who lost not long ago – he [Krzysztof] would be easier in theory. But why should I fight someone like that? I’ll fight Bruno. He’s a standout. I think it’s a great matchup.
How do you feel about facing a fellow Brazilian in the UFC?
A lot of Brazilian fight fans didn’t want us facing each other. We’re both representing our country. But the sooner we Brazilians face each other in the UFC, the sooner one of us will get a chance to bring the belt back to our country.
Have you had any interactions with Bruno?
I've never had any contact with Bruno “Blindado,” except for the time I ran into him at the [American] consulate in Sao Paulo. I pretended I didn’t see him while standing in line. He also pretended not to see me. I had hoped to shake his hand afterward, and let him to that I was looking forward to representing Brazil together with him. But there were those interviews where he said that he’s emotional and would rather have zero contact with his opponents. I interpret that as insecurity or fear. I used to feel that way when I was getting started as a professional in 2012. But imagine working hard for weeks with a team, and when your opponent comes to wish you a good fight, you toss that down the drain? I don’t know how he thinks. On that day, I wanted to greet him because I was raised to be polite. I felt bad because it didn’t happen, but that’s his doing.
Can you respond to some of the verbal provocation coming from Bruno and his team?
As soon as he signed the contract to face me, he posted online that he would knock me out. That’s fine by me. Let him think that. I simply want a war. Whether I’ll knock him out or vice-versa, I don’t know. I just know that I want to win. And I’ll do everything possible to make that happen. His coach, Andre Amado [“Dida”] seconded by saying they’ll turn my lights out. Andre used to be a professional fighter. I can understand when a coach hasn’t really fought professionally and doesn’t understand the reality of the situation. But he does. I saw Andre knock Buakaw Banchamek down in the first round and then go on to lose a four-round decision in kickboxing. It’s not over until it’s over. You’d think he’d learn from his mistakes. And now he’s talking crap. He should consider my body of work within kickboxing and MMA. But in the end, he’s free to say whatever he wants. And then another coach of Bruno’s claimed that Jared Cannonier hits harder than I do. How would he know that? Watch my fights and watch his. He’s definitely strong. But there’s no comparison. The numbers show it. The vast majority of my fights, kickboxing and MMA bouts, since I was an amateur, resulted in wins by knockout. And the way I’ve knocked people out is also very different. People have needed oxygen tanks to recover.
There’s also been talk about the toughness of Brazilians from the northeast of the country [“nordestinos”] and how he supposedly feels that you lack that attribute. What’s your reaction to that?
Bruno stated that through his veins flows the blood from the Brazilian northeast. But he forgets that this is also true of me. Sparks will fly. We will have our war. Nowadays, I occasionally receive messages from fans who’ve followed both of our careers. Some of these people even know him personally. And they’re rooting for me this time. It’s very gratifying.
Your thoughts about his fight record and skills?
Bruno said on an interview that he’s never been knocked out. But he lost via KO to Vitor Miranda on “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3.” Bruno’s explanation is that it doesn’t count since it doesn’t go on his pro record. That means he’s lying to himself. I personally accept the fact that I can win, I can lose, I can knock someone out, and I can be knocked out. If he denies that possibility, that’s a bad thing. I suppose he’s free to believe in his own lie. Ever since that bout against Vitor Miranda, I see Bruno doing the same things over and over. There’s a way to prepare for that kind of head kick. He keeps making the same mistakes. I don’t know if his trainers see it at all. But I do.
Can you share some details about your training camp?
I’m getting ready at Teixeira MMA, Glover Teixeira’s academy. I usually train twice a day – MMA and physical conditioning. On Wednesdays, I go to New Jersey to train at Plinio Cruz's academy. I’m working on my jiu-jitsu in Connecticut with Caio Magalhaes. Besides Glover and Caio, I’m also working with Wellington Turman. Our training sessions are excellent.
What are your final thoughts on your matchup?
I respect Bruno and the accomplishments in his career. He sets a good example as a fighter and as a father to his daughter. It’s important to see that in high-level athletes. I feel the same way about my kids. That’s why I respect him. I’m sure he’s had much to overcome in his life. My parents also come from the Brazilian northeast. They were farm workers. They came to Sao Paulo to try to give their seven children a better life. I’m confident that Bruno’s story is similar. Those stories are important to tell, especially since we’re making changes for the better. On March 12, all that will be set aside. We’ll bang it out for a few minutes. We’ll put on a show for the fans. I’m sure we will be fine with each other once it’s all over.
Do you have any future career thoughts beyond this fight?
My focus right now is simply on facing “Blindado.” I don’t know what will happen after that. I’m taking things one step at a time. Since I got signed by the UFC, I’ve been saying that I want to be champion. I’m working with that goal in mind.