Alex Pereira has taken the UFC by storm, winning multiple titles and making it all look effortless. But how does he do that? Well, apparently the secret lies in his bag.
With arguably the biggest fight of his career coming up at UFC 313 this weekend, Poatan gave fans a rare look inside this special bag, revealing the must-have items that help him stay at the top of his game.
In a video posted by GQ sports, ‘Poatan ‘ starts by showing the most important part of any fighter’s life: training gloves. He stated that even though they last a long time, he likes to change them often, wearing a different pair of gloves for each training camp.
But these were the small MMA gloves. Pereira, of course, is a former world champion kickboxer, so those good ol’ 16-ounce mitts also always find a home in that training bag.
Pereira says he uses them exclusively while training in kickboxing or boxing. He stated that he needs these in order to protect his training partners as he is known to be one of the most devastating knockout artists the sport has ever seen.
Keeping in line with protective gear, he pulls out some hand wraps, which are essential to keeping his hands safe and secure while training. It’s Newton’s third law of motion. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So the harder Pereira hits something, the worse the impact is on his fists. So hand wraps with proper wrapping technique are a must-have for any fighter.
Shin guards were up next as the champion stated that wearing them ensures that fighters reduce the risk of injuries, which further helps them have long careers. Leg injuries are some of the worst injuries to ever happen to an athlete.
Conor McGregor, Chris Weidman, Anderson Silva- anyone who’s ever been a victim of a snapped leg will tell you just how messed up they are and how much it takes to heal from them.
Pereira rounded up the video by sharing a few last items in his bag, which included the likes of training shorts, running shoes, a mouth guard, and most importantly, his fight kit.
The Brazilian champion stated that these are the essentials that he carries with him at all times to get ready and stay ready for his active fight schedule. And his schedule is pretty active. He already fought thrice last year to defend the light heavyweight title, and in 3 and a half day’s time, he is going to defend it again against Magomed Ankalaev.
If he does so successfully, he will become the first UFC champion after Jon Jones to have 4 title defenses in under 365 days.
Pereira en route to breaking 10-year-old Jones’ record
Pereira started 2024 with a title defense against Jamahall Hill at UFC 300, a fight he took on short notice. Hill, a former light heavyweight world champion in the UFC himself, saw this as a perfect opportunity to capture the belt, but it was not to be.
Seconds after stopping the referee from intervening following an illegal crotch kick by Hill, Pereira found the former champion’s head with a swift left hook and sent him to the shadow realm.
He was not scheduled to fight again till the end of the year, but days before UFC 303, Conor McGregor pulled out of the Michael Chandler fight, claiming a broken toe.
The UFC rang Pereira, and the Brazilian returned to action on even shorter notice to save the PPV. And save he did.
Taking on another former world champion in Jiri Prochazka in what was supposed to be an exciting rematch, Pereira first dropped the Polish fighter in the first round. Prochazka managed to get back up and was saved by the bell. But unlike Jon Snow, who got resurrected to fight another day, Prochazka’s resilience only lasted another 13 seconds.
Stepping on the gas pedal, the champ cracked him with a signature left hook and sent him packing as well.
His last fight of the year was against the 7th-ranked Khali Rountree. Rountree, unlike his predecessors, wasn’t a world champion. But seeing him on the day of the fight at UFC 307, Pereira knew he was in for a fight.
Ahead of the bout, Rountree had promised a stand-up entertaining fight, and that’s exactly what he delivered, till he could. While he did outscore Pereira on the judges’ scorecards for 3 rounds, the Brazilian kept planting snapping shots on his face.
Rountree managed to brush it off as long as she could, but then, Pereira truly found his rhythm in the 4th round. Dodging every shot from a visibly exhausted Rountree, the Brazilian peppered him with well-timed jabs and eventually finished him off with a blitz with almost half a minute to spare in the round.
But at UFC 313 is where he faces a true test of character. Battling the first grappler of his iconic reign, Pereira will hope he can withstand the personal hatred Ankalaev holds against him. If he does, he will have forever etched his name in the annals of the UFC, with his only true competition being heavyweight champion and the GOAT Jon ‘Bones’ Jones.
