Alex Pereira Children: UFC Champ’s Soft Side for Sons From First Wife Revealed in Uncharacteristic Confession

The quote, “My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it,” from renowned author Clarence Budington Kelland, is strictly followed by the current light heavyweight king, Alex Pereira, who has become the nightmare of his division’s opponents.

Unlike other fighters who push their kids into mixed martial arts training from an early age, ‘Poatan’, a father of two boys, is not one of those parents who imposes his expectations or dreams on his children. Instead, he aims to set an example for them in both character and career so that one day they will want to be like him, something he discussed in an interview last summer.

Alex Pereira on His Sons’ Debut in MMA

‘Poatan’ initially attempted to keep his personal life private, but his unwavering love for his sons made that difficult. Instead of hiding them from the public eye, Pereira has embraced the opportunity to share his family life with the MMA community. His sons, Alessandro Vidal Silva and Lohan Vidal Silva are often seen at UFC events, cheering on their father as he annihilates his opponents. Following in their father’s footsteps, the boys are also honing their skills in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

However, ‘Poatan’ does not expect his sons to be exactly like him. “I need to set an example. They watch, and they want to be part of it. That’s the cool thing,” he said. Pereira’s coach and former UFC champion Glover Teixeira is also helping his kids refine their skills.

The light heavyweight king further explained why he chose to raise his sons in America rather than his homeland of Brazil, stating, “But most important for me in America is the level of security. I’m not talking badly about Brazil; I grew up in Brazil. But it’s safer in America. Here, my kids can go to school and not worry. We can talk on the phone. You can wear a gold necklace.”

Even though we don’t yet know whether Alex Pereira’s sons want to be like him, his short run in the UFC is now inspiring other fighters’ children, including former two-division contender Demian Maia’s son.

Demian Maia’s son looks up to Alex Pereira as his idol

Since his debut in the promotion, Alex Pereira, with his “scary” persona, has almost crushed everyone who stood between him and his title. As a result, ‘Poatan’ is now the undisputed face of the UFC. However, despite his intimidating demeanor in the octagon, Pereira is a different person outside of it. This softer side of him was recently highlighted by former UFC title challenger Demian Maia during an appearance on the JAXXON Podcast.

Speaking candidly, Maia revealed that his son looks up to fighters like Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya. Maia shared, “[My son] wants to be a striker… He said, ‘I wanna be like ‘Poatan,’ he loves [Pereira], or he wants to be like [Israel] Adesanya.’ We visited Adesanya’s gym, and Eugene [Bareman], his coach, was there. I didn’t know, but he loved my style and knew all my fights. [Bareman] said, ‘Come here tomorrow, [Adesanya] will be here.’ So I went, and they prepared a little ceremony for me… It was very nice.”

What are your thoughts on Alex Pereira’s decision? Do you also believe that Pereira’s sons should follow in their father’s footsteps, or should they carve their paths? Share your opinion below.