Alex Pereira got the best news possible, when a fan whose head he shaved during his fight with cancer, confirmed he’d won his battle.
Back in June 2024, the Brazilian collaborated with Australian non-profit organization, Challenge, which supports children and their families dealing with cancer.
During his trip to the land down under, the fighter visited the Royal Melbourne Hospital and introduced himself to the children fighting against the condition.
He also met a Muay Thai practitioner who left a long-lasting impression.
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Alex Pereira finds out fan whose head he shaved has beaten cancer
Upon meeting Alex Pereira, the young martial artist explained that as he was going to lose his hair anyway, he’d love ‘Poatan’ to be the man to shave it off.
While a monster inside the cage, the UFC light heavyweight showed off his gentle side, fulfilling his supporter’s wishes, before the situation overwhelmed him, with the icon fighting back the tears.
Fast forward to February 2025, Pereira reunited with the Thai boxer, uploading a heartwarming video to Instagram, explaining that the prospect had won his battle.
He beamed: “I came to Australia, and I cut his hair at the institute of cancer here in Australia. It was something very emotional, very heavy for me; I cried. I got emotional.
“To see this guy’s recovery. He was training Muay Thai. He had to stop because of the cancer. And now, he’s fought against cancer. He beat cancer. A big inspiration. This is what you call fighting.”
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Everything you need to know about when Alex Pereira will return to the cage
With an amazing fighting style and a charismatic personality, the warrior has cemented himself as one of the biggest names in combat sports, with even Oleksandr Usyk wanting to box Pereira.
However, for the time being, the 37-year-old is sticking with MMA, but while Jon Jones would love to fight him, the power puncher is going in another direction.
With fans clamoring for the match-up, the former Glory kickboxing world champion has given them what they want.
Here’s everything you need to know about Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev.