In the MMA community, fighters often have their unique superstitions and rituals they stick to before stepping into the octagon. For Alex Pereira, UFC’s light heavyweight champion, the ritual involves shaving his head before each match. While it might seem like a simple grooming choice, there’s a deeper reason behind this practice that goes beyond just aesthetics.
Pereira’s pre-fight routine reflects his mindset and preparation, setting the tone for what he hopes will be a victorious performance.
When‘Poatan’ stepped in on short notice and saved the UFC 303 fight card after Conor McGregor pulled out at the last minute, he also became part of the embedded series of UFC 303.
This is where Poatan revealed the funny reason he shaves his head before every fight.
“I am going to have the photo shoot tomorrow. That’s why I’m having my hair cut today. With this hair, I look like a good guy. It doesn’t work. It’s good now. They shaved my head. Now, they have applied a face mask to make my skin look better so I can look good on TV. I need to be ready for war. Chama.”
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Needless to say, this has worked out very well for Pereira. With a bald head, ‘Poatan’ looks like an extremely intimidating figure ready for war. His walkouts, the bow and arrow ritual before entering the octagon and the deathly stare during introductions all add up to an extremely intimidating experience for anyone standing across the octagon from him.
Now, Pereira will be hoping that these tricks work against Khalil Rountree. However, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen feels otherwise.
Sonnen’s grim prediction for Poatan
Sonnen is throwing down some hot takes about Pereira’s upcoming title defense against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307.
‘Stone Hands’ will be putting his light heavyweight title on the line on October 5 in Salt Lake City, and while many fans think Rountree doesn’t deserve this shot—arguing that Magomed Ankalaev is the rightful contender—Sonnen sees it differently.
He believes Rountree is a tricky matchup for Pereira.
On his show Good Guy/Bad Guy, Sonnen boldly stated, “Khalil Rountree is going to walk through Pereira”. He explained that while Pereira has an intimidating presence, Rountree thrives when faced with a kickboxer coming at him. He’s not one to swarm his opponents; instead, he’s a counter fighter who shines when someone attacks him first.
Sonnen compared Pereira to legendary fighters like Mike Tyson and Anderson Silva, who could intimidate opponents before the fight even started. But he thinks Rountree is different—someone that’s not easily rattled. The ‘American Gangster’ warns that this matchup could be a disaster for anyone hoping the UFC is protecting Pereira.
Although, to be fair, former UFC stars are known to hype up underdogs in order to sell a fight. And since Sonnen considers himself a master of the art, this could be be taken as just that… hype! That said, anytime two big strikers have a go at each other, it automatically becomes a memorable battle.
