UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has sent a warm message to the first man to have beaten him in MMA, Quemuel Ottoni, as he prepares to fight on the coming season of Dana White’s Contender Series.
Alex Pereira continued his reign over the UFC light heavyweight division with another spectacular win over Jiri Prochazka this past Saturday at UFC 303.
‘Poatan’ has become one of the UFC’s biggest stars since his debut back in 2021 with five of his nine fights with the promotion having been title fights.
Who is Quemuel Ottoni?
Quemuel Ottoni was the first man to beat Pereira in MMA. Following ‘Poatan’s’ extremely successful kickboxing career, the 36-year-old made his MMA debut back in 2015 at Jungle Fight 82 and was submitted in the third round by Ottoni.
Following his win over Pereira, the 31-year-old struggled to keep up his momentum and went through a three-year stint of winning a fight and then losing one.
Despite that, he decided to move down to welterweight from 185lbs where he found more success.
Ottoni last fought two years ago at Jungle Fight 107 submitting Jose Diaz in the third round of their vacant welterweight title fight.
Following that, the Brazilian has been scheduled to fight under the PFL banner three times, but every time the fight has fallen through, meaning he hasn’t fought in the past two years.
Alex Pereira sends a warm message to the first MMA fighter to have beaten him
It was recently announced by the UFC that Ottoni would compete on the coming season of Dana White’s Contender Series, where he will take on undefeated prospect, Kody Steele, in a welterweight bout, on September 10.
After his successful title defense at UFC 303, Pereira sent a warm message to Ottoni, despite him having handed him one of his only two losses in MMA.
“Ah man, I wish him good,” Pereira began at the UFC 303 post-fight press conference. “I hope he can achieve a lot, if he achieves as much as I did, (the UFC) is going to make him special and good, so I want him to achieve that too, good luck to him,” the Brazilian continued.
The likelihood of Pereira and Ottoni rematching under the UFC banner is extremely unlikely with ‘Poatan’ now competing at 205lbs, and even considering a move up to heavyweight.
Pereira also sent a warm message to Prochazka after brutally knocking him out in the second round, for the second time. Following his loss, the Czech fighter claimed that he has to either ‘evolve or retire’.
“I wish him well and a speedy recovery for everything whether he be good on his future plans, one message for him, I know he talked a lot about spirituality, just so he knows the same God that blesses us is the same one that protects us and I pray a lot for him and for me to be well after this fight,” the champion finished.