Alex Pereira is walking a mile in Conor McGregor’s shoes and becoming the new face of the UFC. Although those are big shoes to fill, ‘Poatan’ seems to be growing into them comfortably. The Brazilian has has reportedly already made the organization $30 million since his first fight 4 years ago.
Pereira has a habit of stepping in on short notice and saving a card. He did it at Madison Square Garden, he did it for UFC 300, and most recently for UFC 303.
And fans love it, for they get to see him fight more often and they are more than happy to pay for it. Poatan currently holds the record for 2 of the highest gates in UFC history.
Alex Pereira has now headlined two of the top 4 highest gates in UFC history:
1. UFC 205 – McGregor vs Alvarez ($17.7M)
2. UFC 229 – Khabib vs McGregor ($17.2M)
3. UFC 300 – Pereira vs Hill ($16.5M)
4. UFC 303 – Pereira vs Prochazka 2 ($15.9M)#UFC #MMA #UFC303 pic.twitter.com/HaxW68Iab3— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 30, 2024
These kinds of numbers have been untouched since Conor McGregor.
So for Pereira to even come close to it is an achievement on its own. Funnily enough, his last outing at UFC 303 was only possible because he stepped into fight Jiri Prochazka when the McGregor and Chandler fight got postponed due to the Irishman’s broken toe.
What’s funnier however is that his coach Plinio Cruz didn’t actually want him to take the fight.
Pereira doesn’t need a full camp
Take bigger risks, reap better rewards. Now that’s a Venn diagram for the brave. Because it doesn’t always work out. One could laud the fighter for their bravery but sooner than later that same bravado costs them. Not with Pereira though!
He had no reason to fight Jiri Prochazka on short notice while being the champion. He could have and should have asked for a proper camp and prep time. But those are for the noobs, it seems.
So, despite what his coach advised, Poatan was adamant on taking the fight under any circumstances.
“As a coach, I don’t think you should do it, but I know you gonna do it… He goes, ‘Under any circumstance, I’m getting this fight no matter what.”
Alex Pereira’s coach, Plinio Cruz, says he told Alex not to take the fight against Jiri Prochazka at #UFC303.
Alex Pereira’s response: “Under any circumstance, I’m getting this fight no matter what.”
@espnmma #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/fAyS7CA0RJ
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 30, 2024
In the end, the risk paid off as he furthered his legacy as one of the greatest knockout artists the UFC has ever seen.
