History of Alex Pereira in Timeline

Alex Pereira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, currently competing in the UFC's Light Heavyweight division. He is the reigning and two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and previously held the UFC Middleweight Championship. As of February 2026, he is ranked #5 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings, highlighting his standing as one of the sport's top competitors.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

July 1987: Alex Pereira's Birth

Alex Sandro Silva Pereira was born in July 1987.

Others born on this day/year

2009: Started Kickboxing Training

In 2009, Alex Pereira began training in kickboxing to overcome his addiction to alcohol.

2012: Jungle Fight Middleweight Title win

In 2012, Alex Pereira won the Jungle Fight Middleweight Title and the WGP -85 kg Championship. He also lost his challenge for the It's Showtime 85MAX Championship vs Jason Wilnis by TKO in the second round.

2013: WAKO Pro Panamerican K-1 Championship

In 2013, Alex Pereira won the WAKO Pro Panamerican K-1 -85 kg Championship.

2013: W.A.K.O. World Championship and WGP Tournament

In late 2013, Alex Pereira participated in the W.A.K.O. World Championship '13 at -91 kg, earning a silver medal after losing in the finals to Sergej Maslobojev. Two months later, he participated in the WGP tournament, losing in the finals to César Almeida by decision.

March 2014: Glory Debut and Tournament Win

On March 8, 2014, Alex Pereira made his Glory debut and won the Glory 14: Zagreb - Middleweight Contender Tournament in Zagreb, Croatia, defeating Dustin Jacoby and Sahak Parparyan.

June 2014: Glory 17 Tournament Loss

On June 21, 2014, at Glory 17: Los Angeles, Alex Pereira participated in the Last Man Standing middleweight tournament, losing to Artem Levin in the quarter-finals.

2015: MMA Debut

In 2015, Alex Pereira made his professional MMA debut at Jungle Fight 82 against Quemuel Ottoni, losing the fight via submission.

August 10, 2018: Contender Series Bout Scrapped

On August 10, 2018, Alex Pereira was scheduled to face Diego Henrique da Silva in Dana White's Contender Series Brazil, but the bout was canceled because Glory did not permit Pereira to compete.

November 2018: Pursuit of MMA Career

In November 2018, Alex Pereira announced his intention to pursue a career in MMA after his Glory contract expired.

2018: Glory Middleweight Title Defense

In 2018, Alex Pereira defended his Glory Middleweight Title against Yousri Belgaroui at Glory 55 in New York's Madison Square Garden, winning by knockout in the first round.

April 2019: Re-signing with Glory

In April 2019, Alex Pereira re-signed with Glory, maintaining the option to also fight in MMA.

December 2019: Glory Collision 2 Victory

In December 2019, Alex Pereira defended his middleweight title against Ertugrul Bayrak at Glory Collision 2, winning by knockout at the end of the first round.

October 2020: LFA Contract Signing

In October 2020, Alex Pereira signed a contract with Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA).

November 2020: LFA Debut Victory

On November 20, 2020, Alex Pereira made his LFA debut against Thomas Powell, winning the fight via knockout in round one.

February 2021: Kickboxing Ranking

In February 2021, Alex Pereira was ranked #1 in the kickboxing middleweight and light-heavyweight rankings.

September 2021: Signed with UFC

On September 3, 2021, Alex Pereira signed with the UFC.

November 2021: UFC Debut

On November 6, 2021, Alex Pereira made his UFC debut against Andreas Michailidis at UFC 268, winning by technical knockout in round two and earning a Performance of the Night award.

March 2022: Victory over Bruno Silva

On March 12, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 203, Alex Pereira defeated Bruno Silva via unanimous decision.

July 2022: Knockout Victory over Sean Strickland

On July 2, 2022, at UFC 276, Alex Pereira defeated Sean Strickland by knockout in the first round. This win earned him a Performance of the Night award and a Crypto.com Fan Bonus of the Night third place award.

November 2022: UFC Middleweight Championship Win

On November 12, 2022, at UFC 281, Alex Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya via technical knockout in the fifth round to win the UFC Middleweight Championship, also earning the Performance of the Night award.

April 2023: Move to Light Heavyweight Division

On April 13, 2023, Alex Pereira announced on Twitter that he was moving up to the Light Heavyweight division.

April 2023: Loss to Adesanya

On April 8, 2023, at UFC 287, Alex Pereira lost the UFC Middleweight Championship to Israel Adesanya via knockout in the second round.

July 2023: Victory over Jan Błachowicz

On July 29, 2023, at UFC 291, Alex Pereira defeated Jan Błachowicz via split decision.

November 2023: UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Win

On November 11, 2023, at UFC 295, Alex Pereira defeated Jiří Procházka via TKO in the second round to win the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, earning the Performance of the Night award.

April 2024: Title Defense against Jamahal Hill

On April 13, 2024, at UFC 300, Alex Pereira defended his UFC Light Heavyweight title against Jamahal Hill, winning by knockout in the first round.

June 2024: Victory against Jiří Procházka

On June 29, 2024, Alex Pereira defeated Jiří Procházka in a rematch at UFC 303, earning a Performance of the Night award and a $303,000 bonus.

October 2024: Victory against Khalil Rountree Jr.

On October 5, 2024, at UFC 307, Alex Pereira defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. by technical knockout in the fourth round, earning his first Fight of the Night award. He also set a UFC record for the shortest time for three title defenses at 175 days.

March 2025: Title Loss to Magomed Ankalaev

On March 8, 2025, at UFC 313, Alex Pereira lost his title to Magomed Ankalaev by unanimous decision.

September 2025: The Ariel Helwani Show Appearance

In September 2025, Alex Pereira appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and discussed his "Instituto Poatan" which offers free combat sports training, English lessons, and computer classes. It has over 700 registered kids. The goal is to help children from poor backgrounds with issues like alcohol and drugs.

October 4, 2025: Title Reclaimed

On October 4, 2025, at UFC 320, Alex Pereira reclaimed the championship against Magomed Ankalaev by technical knockout, earning another Performance of the Night award. He expressed his desire to fight Jon Jones at the UFC Freedom 250 event.

January 2026: Relationship with Tracy Cortez

In January 2026, Alex Pereira publicly confirmed his relationship with fellow fighter Tracy Cortez, but the relationship ended a week later.

February 2026: UFC ranking

As of February 2026, Alex Pereira is ranked #5 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

February 27, 2026: Title Vacated

On February 27, 2026, it was announced that Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg would be headlining UFC 327 for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, resulting in Alex Pereira officially vacating the title.

June 14, 2026: Heavyweight Championship Attempt

On June 14, 2026, Alex Pereira is scheduled to attempt to become the first UFC fighter to win titles in three divisions by competing for the interim heavyweight championship against Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250.