UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira’s English is coming along, but not in the way most expect.
Alex Pereira went from a relatively unknown UFC debutee to one of the biggest stars in combat sports in just over three years. His wild knockouts, mysterious persona, and intimidating presence have already made him a UFC legend.
Amidst his rise to fame and fortune, Pereira is slowly, but surely, working on his English to communicate better with English-speaking fans. While he’s able to convey some one-word phrases in English, he’s not able to put together full sentences fluently yet, although that could change over time.
In the meantime, Pereira is still making progress on his English as he demonstrated at a recent Power Slap event. Sitting in the front row with UFC CEO Dana White and others in attendance, Pereira seemed to enjoy himself, despite a stoic reaction to one of the event’s highlights.
But Pereira let down his usually indifferent appearance in collaboration with influencer Nina Drama as one of the Power Slap competitors suffered a brutal knockout.
As one of the Power Slap competitors hit the canvas unconscious, Pereira exclaimed a reaction common to many of his UFC highlights. To Nina Drama’s shock, Pereira yelled “Holy s***!” in a hilarious and viral moment.
Pereira also met up with White and showed off his custom-made UFC belt bracelet. As of this writing, a return date for the UFC light heavyweight champ remains uncertain, although he’s expected to face Magomed Ankalaev for his next title defense.
Pereira became the quickest to earn a UFC title when he finished Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 to become the promotion’s middleweight titleholder. After a rematch loss to Adesanya, Pereira is unbeaten at light heavyweight, including his knockout win to secure the then-vacant light heavyweight belt at UFC 295.
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Alex Pereira was involved in a recent UFC PI altercation with a former opponent
As Pereira awaits his UFC return booking, he continues to enjoy some time away from the Octagon spotlight. During a recent trip to South Korea, Pereira humbled a bodybuilder in an arm wrestling contest and sparred with one of the country’s top boxers.
Pereira has defeated the likes of Jamahal Hill, Jiří Procházka, and Jan Blachowicz since making the full-time move to 205lbs. He most recently defended the title by knocking out Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307.
In a recent training session at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, Pereira got into a heated altercation with Hill that nearly turned physical. He and Hill had exchanged online taunts for months before the two sides nearly clashed at the facility.
Hill will face Procházka in a potential No. 1 contender bout at UFC 311 next month. An impressive win could potentially earn him a rematch with Pereira.
Outside of the cage, Pereira continues to be one of the most sought-after athletes on the UFC roster. As his English continues to improve, his star power will only continue to add to his already unprecedented draw.
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