The UFC middleweight champion Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira has taken the MMA world by storm ever since making his debut in the company in 2021. The former world kickboxing champion is one of the most feared fighters in all in the UFC, thanks to his vicious power. He has a professional MMA record of 7-1 under his name. Interestingly, six out of his seven wins in his MMA career have come by way of a knockout.
Pereira has three knockouts win in the UFC. One against a fighter who appeared invincible in the middleweight division, Israel Adesanya. While Pereira is set to fight him again later this weekend, in this piece we will take a look at the meaning behind his nickname, ‘Poatan’.
What does Alex Pereira’s nickname ‘Poatan’ mean?
As mentioned earlier, Alex Pereira is a vicious striker who possesses an unreal ability to knock people out. Interestingly, the same seems to be the meaning behind his nickname, ‘Poatan’.
‘Po’ in his native language means hand whereas ‘Atan’ means something solid or stone-like. That said, the Brazilian’s nickname can be translated to ‘Stone Hand’.
Moreover, Pereira has symbolized the same with a tattoo of pebbles and rocks on his left hand. It’s safe to say that Alex Pereira’s nickname certainly stands true to his abilities to knock people out.
Pereira vs. Adesanya 2: A closer look at their rivalry ahead of UFC 287
Alex Pereira will enter the octagon later this weekend at UFC 287 in a highly anticipated rematch against Israel Adesanya. The two squared off back in November last year when the Brazilian won via TKO in the fifth round of the fight.
Interestingly, this wasn’t the only time that Pereira got the better of Israel Adesanya. The two have actually faced each other twice during their kickboxing days, with the Brazilian winning on both occasions.
Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have one of the most unique rivalries in combat sports history.@JackMacCool recaps the history between the two dating back to their kickboxing days.https://t.co/VGtmlM7oSU pic.twitter.com/mjZ35I1pQM
— Verdict (@VerdictMMA) April 4, 2023
It’s safe to say that ‘Poatan’ seems to have Adesanya’s number and knows exactly how to beat him, something not a lot of fighters have managed to do. As Adesanya was undefeated in the middleweight division.
However, it is worth noting that Pereira was seemingly losing to Adesanya before finishing him in the final round. The Brazilian will certainly have to put on an overall improved performance in order to beat ‘The Last Stylebender’ again.
That said, it will be interesting to see if Alex Pereira can put on another cracking performance to beat Israel Adesanya for the fourth time in his career later this weekend at UFC 287.
What do you guys think about Pereira’s nickname? What are your predictions for the rematch?
