Alex Pereira, widely regarded as one of the most lethal strikers in the UFC, has once again caught fans’ attention—but this time outside the octagon. In a newly surfaced video, the Brazilian powerhouse was seen fine-tuning his boxing skills with a professional boxer during a training session in South Korea.
Known for his devastating power and precision, Pereira’s display of raw talent left fans buzzing online, sparking discussions about just how versatile his striking game truly is.
The UFC light heavyweight champion is fresh off a thrilling win against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307, in what was his third title defense of the year. He has since taken some time off to unwind and train during his global travels.
Boxer went toe-to-toe with UFC champion Alex Pereira at a gym in South Korea today pic.twitter.com/t16tZ3Kgic
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) November 18, 2024
Being a fan favorite means, Pereira gets a lot of love no matter what he does. And this was an intense session for a man supposed to be on vacation. One fan claimed Poatan wasn’t going all in against the boxer and said, “Alex Pereira isn’t even going 50%”.
Another fan applauded the light heavyweight champion for taking hits to his head and not going Poatan- “Pereira was trying hard to restrain himself lol”. A fan commented on Pereira’s future matchup against Ankalaev, saying, “Magomed is in trouble.”
Now, Ankalaev being in trouble seems a bit far-fetched but he might still have been in shock if the UFC agreed to Jon Jones’ proposal of a fight with Poatan. Fortunately…
Dana White shuts down Jones vs Pereira matchup
White has always been a bit iffy about a match between Pereira and Jones. This was even before Jones issued a call-out. After defeating Jiri Prochazka, Pereira himself had floated the idea of becoming a three-division champion.
White wasn’t sold on the idea then and after Jones’ dominant win over Stipe Miocic At UFC 309, he’s shutting the conversation down.
At the post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO emphasized the size and skill disparity, particularly Jones’ wrestling, as reasons the matchup doesn’t make sense.
That said, White admits if both fighters push hard enough, he might reconsider. But the die has to be cast a few times before that comes to pass. Pereira will have to defend his title against Ankalaev and prove he can hold his own against someone with a solid ground game. As far as Jones is concerned, he is getting nothing before he takes on UFC interim champion Tom Aspinall.
