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 a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and UFC Middleweight Champion. As of March 11, 2025, he holds the #1 ranking in the UFC light heavyweight division and is #10 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings as of July 1, 2025. His accomplishments highlight his success in both kickboxing and mixed martial arts.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

July 1987: Birth of Alex Pereira

In July 1987, Alex Sandro Silva Pereira was born. He is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former professional kickboxer.

Others born on this day/year

2009: Started Training Kickboxing

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

2012: Championship Wins and Title Challenge

In 2012, Alex Pereira won the Jungle Fight Middleweight Title and the WGP -85 kg/187 lb Championship. He also challenged Jason Wilnis for the It's Showtime 85MAX Championship but lost by TKO in the second round.

2013: WAKO Pro Panamerican K-1 Championship Win

In 2013, Alex Pereira won the WAKO Pro Panamerican K-1 -85 kg/187 lb 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, winning silver after losing in the finals. Two months later, he participated in the WGP tournament, beating Camilo Ferraz but losing to César Almeida in the finals.

March 2014: Glory Debut and Tournament Win

On March 8, 2014, Alex Pereira made his Glory debut at Glory 14: Zagreb, winning the Middleweight Contender Tournament by defeating Dustin Jacoby and Sahak Parparyan.

June 2014: Glory 17 Tournament Loss

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

2015: MMA Debut at Jungle Fight 82

In 2015, Alex Pereira made his professional mixed martial arts debut at Jungle Fight 82 against Quemuel Ottoni, losing via submission.

August 10, 2018: Contender Series Bout That Didn't Materialize

On August 10, 2018, Alex Pereira had signed a contract to face Diego Henrique da Silva in the Brazilian edition of Dana White's Contender Series. However, the bout never materialized as Glory did not permit Pereira to compete.

November 2018: Consideration of MMA Career

In November 2018, Alex Pereira expressed interest in pursuing an MMA career after his Glory contract expired.

2018: Glory Middleweight Title Defense

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

April 2019: Re-signing with Glory

In April 2019, despite considering MMA, Alex Pereira re-signed with Glory, with the possibility of also fighting 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: Signing with Legacy Fighting Alliance

In October 2020, news surfaced that Alex Pereira had signed a contract with Legacy Fighting Alliance.

November 2020: LFA Promotional Debut

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

February 2021: Kickboxing Rankings

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

September 2021: Signing with UFC

In September 2021, Alex Pereira signed with the UFC.

November 2021: UFC Debut at UFC 268

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

March 2022: UFC Fight Night 203 Victory

On March 12, 2022, Alex Pereira faced Bruno Silva at UFC Fight Night 203, winning the fight via unanimous decision.

July 2022: UFC 276 Victory over Sean Strickland

On July 2, 2022, Alex Pereira fought Sean Strickland at UFC 276, winning by knockout in the first round and earning a Performance of the Night award and a Crypto.com Fan Bonus of the Night third place award, which paid in bitcoin of US$10,000.

November 2022: UFC Middleweight Championship Win

On November 12, 2022, Alex Pereira faced Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 281, winning the bout via technical knockout in the fifth round and earning the Performance of the Night award.

April 2023: Move to Light Heavyweight Division

On April 13, 2023, Alex Pereira announced his move to the Light Heavyweight division via Twitter.

April 2023: Loss to Adesanya at UFC 287

On April 8, 2023, Alex Pereira lost his UFC Middleweight Championship title in a rematch against Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 via knockout in the second round.

July 2023: Victory over Jan Błachowicz at UFC 291

On July 29, 2023, Alex Pereira faced Jan Błachowicz at UFC 291, winning the fight via split decision.

November 2023: UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Win

On November 11, 2023, Alex Pereira defeated Jiří Procházka at UFC 295 to win the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship belt, earning the Performance of the Night award. This made him the 9th fighter in UFC history to become champion in two different weight divisions.

April 2024: First Light Heavyweight Title Defense

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

June 2024: UFC 303 Victory

On June 29, 2024, Alex Pereira faced Jiří Procházka in a rematch at UFC 303, winning by TKO in the second round and earning a Performance of the Night award, along with a reported $303,000 bonus.

October 2024: UFC 307 Victory and Title Defense

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