Pereira steps in for the UFC once again, this time in a rematch against Jiri Procházka at UFC 303. Can 'Poatan' create one of the more unique legacies in MMA history?
Alex Pereira once again has stepped in on short notice to main event a UFC card, this time UFC 303, versus Jiri Prochazka. and his coach, Plinio Cruz, were preparing to board a plane from Newark, New Jersey, to Australia on the morning of June 3 when they saw the same news as everyone else in the fight world. The UFC 303 news conference scheduled for later that day in Dublin, Ireland, between
"So, when Alex got to Australia, I texted Hunter and said, 'OK, he's there. We're all set to announce.' And Hunter got really quiet for several days. That's when I said, 'Oh s---, something's going on.'"due to injury and the promotion was scrambling for a replacement. On June 12, Campbell offered Pereira a 205-pound title defense against Procházka,at UFC 295 in November.
Guimarães reached out to Pereira again. By the end of the day, Pereira and the UFC had agreed on financial terms for the unique circumstances of the fight and White announced the new main event. "Once he agreed, I could see a massive change in him," Cruz told ESPN."We still honored our commitments in Australia, but in the quiet moments, there was a lot going on in his head. It's a lot to process in two weeks. But hey, you want to be a hero, you've got to do heroic s---."He was born into poverty in the favelas of São Paulo, Brazil. At 17 years old, one of his older brothers died from drug use.
He still attended UFC 301 as a guest fighter, however, and sat down with Campbell for an informal dinner meeting that week in Rio de Janeiro. Pereira wanted to fight again as soon as possible, but Campbell said the UFC didn't have any openings until October, perhaps in Salt Lake City. Pereira objected because waiting until October likely meant he'd only fight twice in 2024."He turns 37 in July, he knows his clock is ticking," Guimarães said."He wants to fight.
Pereira's team has always known of his potential in the sport. His fighting style is incredibly entertaining, and Guimarães believes his fight intelligence exceeds the likes ofThis star power, though? The way Pereira has resonated with fans on a global scale? That has been a surprise. Fans mobbed Pereira at a UFC event in Toronto in January. He required security at times in Australia due to the size of crowds.
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